Whistleblowing in health care occurs when an individual "blows the whistle" and reports an unsafe situation. Some suggestions for nurses who may choose to be whistleblowers in health care-related situations are listed below
Which is not necessarily correct? a. Avoid being confrontational when discussing the issue with management; exhaust all internal remedies before taking matters out of house.
b. Consider reporting your concerns about quality of care to the Institute of Medicine or Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
c. Keep a personal diary of events after the incident is reported.
d. Document the incident and keep a copy for yourself; send a typed complaint to the Di-rector of Nursing or anyone in another de-partment with a stake in the case.
B
Sometimes nurses choose to "blow the whistle" on unsafe or unethical practices occurring in health care situations (Vonfrolio, 2006). There can be professional consequences for these actions and not all states offer whistleblower protection. Advice for nurses who may be considering being a whistleblower includes: 1) avoid being confrontational when discussing the issue with management; exhaust all internal remedies before taking matters out of house; 2) consider reporting your concerns about quality of care to the Joint Commission (not the Institute of Medicine or Robert Wood Johnson Foundation); 3) keep a personal diary of events after the incident is reported; 4) document the incident and keep a copy for yourself; 5) send a typed complaint to the Director of Nursing or anyone in another department with a stake in the case; and 6) seek the support of your colleagues, as nurses should band together to protect patients from unethical, incompetent, or unsafe care.
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