Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

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With the development of professionalism in modern-day nursing, concepts such as accountability and civil responsibility have found a special place in nursing, since responsibility is an intrinsic part of this profession. Accountability typically brings civil responsibility, which means an individual can be held legally responsible for injury they have caused to another person. Due to the autonomy that nurses enjoy in their practice, they have legal responsibilities, which in turn expose them to complaints and lawsuits on grounds of negligence more often than in the past. The objective of this paper was to familiarize nurses with the concept of civil responsibility, and to help them prevent the damages arising from it, as well as to ensure patients’ safety and rights. This was an analytical study that examined the concept of nurses’ civil responsibility based on books and articles on the subject. The study will first explicate the general definition of civil responsibility, and then proceed to explain its application to the nursing profession, and the more common stages of litigation, prosecution and defense. The nursing profession today can benefit from a modern outlook on civil responsibility and nursing errors in order to improve teaching methods in providing better patient care and reduce errors. This can eventually enhance the quality of care, and lead to a decrease in nurses’ civil responsibilities and prevention of a waste of public resources.

Keywords: ethical responsibility, civil responsibility, nurse, Iranian legal system

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