Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/38737

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/37427

KEYWORDS : Legal Responsibilities;Nurse's Independent Duties;Observation of Patients;Checking of Medical devices;Administration of drugs

Over the last 3-4 decades the roles of nurses have been changing and expanding, so that now they include duties in advanced hospitals and home-care. The trends in law cases and the amendments made to The Medical Act and the licensure for CNS in Japan have both been indications of these changing laws. These expanding responsibilities mean that nurses have needed, and will continue to need, to learn new skills in nursing and in the administration of machines. The nursing staff’s responsibilities will continue to grow heavier, with new fields of responsibility added, following the changes in medical technology and situations. The author has used the analysis of six recent malpractice law cases to discover the direction in which nursing roles will continue to change. These cases highlighted two main duties in the nursing staffs role, the administration of drugs and the observation of patients.