In my area of nursing we are required to ask every

In my area of nursing, we are required to ask every patient about a durable power of attorney or
living will. We also must offer information and provide the paperwork to write the document if the
patient desires one and does not have one. In labor and delivery I have had only one patient that
has had a power of attorney in effect. This patient had cancer in the past and therefore had a power
of attorney in effect. According to the information I have read, having a baby, getting married, or
divorced, or the death of a person named in the power of attorney is a good time to reevaluate your
document and make amendments if needed. Also, changes are made in laws regarding power of
attorneys, so taking time to reevaluate your document can help keep the power of attorney compliant
with current laws.
Kantner, R. (n.d.). The New Florida Power of Attorney Law . Retrieved from
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attorney&catid=1:blog&Itemid=6
 The rationale for not telling a patient the whole truth would be
if the physician believed that telling the patient the whole truth would cause harm to the patient.
Physicians take an oath to "do no harm." If telling a patient the truth is met with the possibility of the
patient doing harm to ones self, then the physician is justified in not telling the patient the whole
truth. The patient should be told information the physician feels the patient can handle and also the
physician should ask if the patient can have their spouse or family available to help the patient deal
with the news told to them by the physician. Physicians also need to be compassionate and caring

when informing patients of news that will not be taken well. In order for patients to make informed
decisions regarding their own medical treatment, they must be informed of the diagnosis, and all
possible treatment options. Legally, physicians have an obligation to fully disclose to patients all
information pertaining to their state of health to allow the patient the right to be medically informed
and participate in their own care. According to Edwin, 2008, "In terms of morality, deceiving patients
cannot be justified under any circumstance. Lying to patients and failing to inform patients of
particular risks or outcome violate the principle of autonomy and undermine the doctrine of informed
consent" (para. 40).
Edwin, A. (2008). Don't Lie but Don't Tell the Whole Truth: The Therapeutic Privilege - Is it Ever
Justified? Ghana Medical Journal , 42 (4), 156-161.
(used)
One of the points to ponder in Chapter 2 is How does HIPAA change the way you view
confidentiality? Before entering nursing school I never really thought about my privacy when going to
the Doctor or hospital. I always assumed my private information was being protected. However,
going through nursing school has completely changed my outlook on privacy. Especially as a nurse
in a hospital and clinical setting, I view HIPAA in a whole new way. For example, before entering the
hospital as nurse, I worked in a psychiatric outpatient clinic. There are many levels of care, which