Charting Ethics Legal Issues

The purpose of this article is to provide nurses with information about the value of legally credible documentation, laws and standards governing nursing documentation, legal basics for appropriate documentation and strategies for documenting changes in a patient’s condition.
When you complete this article, you will be able to:
1. Provide the legal definition of nursing negligence.
2. Describe the four attributes of legally credible charting.
3. Describe two charting practices that can lead to legal problems.