Patients' Rights, Law and Ethics for Nurses

The second edition of this acclaimed text integrates health care law and ethics in relation to patients’ rights and in the context of everyday nursing and health care practice.

Focusing on principles of law and including clear outlines of the essential legal precedent, the author lays a solid foundation for understanding the intersection of law, ethics and the rights of the patient. Comprehensive yet pocket-sized, this is essential reading for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

• Provides a clear understanding not only of basic legal provisions in health care, but also of wider issues relating to human rights
• Covers topics such as ethical decision making, confidentiality, laws concerning older people, fraud and abuse, and employment regulations
• Uses an easy-to-read style that conveys key principles in an accessible way
• Includes thinking points, case studies and relevant case law to help link theory to practice

Paul Buka qualified as a nurse in Scotland before working there and in England. After a three-year break, he returned to practice with a keen interest in legal and ethical issues.

He read Philosophy and subsequently Law up to Postgraduate level, specialising in Healthcare Law. Paul gained education experience in Further Education, teaching law for 3 years before progressing to Higher Education. Currently lecturing in Adult Nursing, he specialises in Healthcare Law and Ethics, from undergraduate to post-graduate levels. He co-published his first book on Healthcare Law and Ethics in 1999.

Drawing invaluable inspiration from his family, his students and colleagues, he does not forget the most important player―the patient.