Guides: Nursing: Law & Ethics

eBooks

Voluntary euthanasia and assisted dying (2020) The topic of voluntary euthanasia and assisted dying has a long history of impassioned political and community debate in Australia, often appearing to raise more questions than answers.
Reproductive Ethics (2019) Recent advancements in the use and availability of ART treatments such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), gamete donation and surrogacy have raised numerous ethical considerations.
Indigenous People and Criminal Justice (2019) Research and statistics on Indigenous imprisonment, and reviews progress on addressing Aboriginal deaths in custody recommendations and reforming the detention of young Indigenous people.

Professional Standards

Codes of Conduct - Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) (2023) The Code of Conduct for Nurses sets out legal requirements, professional behaviour and conduct expectations for all nurses, in all practice settings, in Australia.
International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of Ethics for Nurses The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses has served as the standard for nurses worldwide since it was first adopted in 1953.
Nursing and Midwifery Board - Enrolled nurse standards for practice The enrolled nurse standards for practice are the core practice standards that provide the framework for assessing enrolled nurse practice.

Legislation & Laws

Government and Organisational Websites

Advance Health Directives WA Dept of Health
Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights The key rights of patients and consumers when seeking or receiving healthcare services.
Reporting Adverse Events Adverse events are unintended and sometimes harmful occurrences associated with the use of a medicine, vaccine or medical device (collectively known as therapeutic goods). Adverse events include side effects to medicines and vaccines, and problems or incidents involving medical devices.

Law for Nurses and Midwives. 9th Edition (2020) Law for Nurses and Midwives continues to be the definitive health law text for nursing and midwifery students who are required to consider legal, professional and ethical considerations as part of their tertiary studies.
Ethics and Law for Australian Nurses (2020) Provides a practical framework for understanding the ethical and legal dimensions of nursing practice. Revised to include updates to legislation, the NMBA professional standards and case examples.
Integrating Law, Ethics and Regulation (2019) Integrating Law, Regulation and Ethics introduces students to the responsibilities and standards in health care derived from legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks.
Ethics, Law and Health Care (2019) The book approaches these issues using the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Codes of Ethics, the Codes of Professional Conduct and the four principles of biomedical ethics Autonomy Non-maleficence Beneficence Justice.