Registered Nurse perception of legal consequences in clinical practice

Registered Nurses working in four regional Queensland areas participated in semi structured interviews aimed to explore their legal education and industry experiences with legal and disciplinary issues. These interviews were taped and using grounded theory methods each transcript was coded and themes were developed as they emerged from this feedback. Findings established that the majority did not feel they were adequately educated to meet current clinical realities where they were reliant on medical and management staff to support their clinical activities and decisions. In fact these Registered Nurses claimed a level of fear, stress and anxiety about their safety in what they called a culture of blame and management approaches to dealing with adverse effects. These findings give direction for considering management approaches and educational preparation strategies.