Final answer:
A nurse in the ICU should only access patient records if it is necessary for the provision of care. Access without a legitimate need to know violates patient confidentiality. Teams use collaborative review processes and checklists to enhance patient care and safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question touches upon the ethical and legal considerations for a nurse working in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It is generally not permissible for a nurse or any healthcare professional to access patient records without a legitimate need to know for care provision. For nurses working in the ICU, CGU, Emergency, and Medical Surgical environments, it is critical to maintain patient confidentiality and adhere to strict protocols for accessing patient information.
Healthcare teams, including nurses and surgeons, typically review procedures and patient care collaboratively to ensure safety and accuracy. This includes verifying patient identity, procedure details, and other critical information before proceeding with any treatment or surgery. The use of checklists, similar to those employed by airplane pilots, has been suggested to enhance this process and has shown to be effective in practices such as the insertion of central intravenous lines.
Furthermore, all healthcare workers are expected to follow established protocols and report any deviations from standard procedures. This is particularly important in clinical settings, where incorrect actions can have serious consequences, such as the incident where a healthcare worker's actions led to patients testing positive for HIV.