Final answer:
Nurses must follow the Nursing Practice Act when delegating and assigning tasks as it defines the scope and framework of nursing practice. HIPAA Privacy Rule, on the other hand, ensures patient privacy and confidentiality of health records. These standards and ethics are crucial in the healthcare field to balance patient care, legal mandates, and ethical considerations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nurses must follow specific codes of standards when delegating and assigning tasks. The correct code that nurses must adhere to in this context is the Nursing Practice Act. This act defines the scope of nursing practice and provides a framework for the delegation and assignment of nursing tasks, ensuring that nurses practice within their competency levels and ensure patient safety. It is vital to distinguish this from the other options provided; while the ANA Code of Ethics provides ethical guidelines, the HIPAA Privacy Rule protects patient privacy, and the Patient Bill of Rights ensures patient care standards, it is the Nursing Practice Act that specifically governs the actions of nurses in assigning tasks.
Regarding legal considerations, the HIPAA Privacy Rule requires confidentiality in handling health records and poses challenges in balancing the privacy rights of the patient against the rights of others, such as sexual partners, to be informed of potential risks. In such cases, policies must navigate complex issues which include the balancing of treatment costs, patient quality of life, and risks to privacy. Ethical considerations like obtaining informed consent, protecting subjects from harm, and preserving confidentiality are also paramount.