This book is a comprehensive introduction to the many ethical and legal issues that arise in the practice of nursing. Ethical analysis is supplemented with the rigorous discussion of precedents from the American legal system as well as the requirements of professional codes operating at the national and state levels. Topics include informed consent, end-of-life treatment, impaired decisional capacity, privacy and confidentiality, and much more. KEY FEATURES An introduction to the ethical and legal issues that arise in nursing practice, designed especially for nursing students. Informed by expert knowledge of ethical theory, laws & codes, and nursing practice. Real-life legal cases and scenarios are discussed throughout as a means of illustrating the importance and complexity of the issues at hand. Summaries and discussion questions help the reader to understand and process the subject matter.