Perception of legal liability by registered nurses in Korea

Liability to the nursing profession is imperative if nurses are to act as an autonomous body. Assessing and communicating effectively is a vital part of nursing for patient safety. This study was designed to identify the attitudes of Korean nurses toward liability in assessment and communication and to investigate the relationship among the variables (i.e., legal awareness, attitudes toward doctor's duty to supervise nurses). The attitudes toward doctor's duty reflect the status of nurses' dependency on doctor's supervision. The study participants were 288 registered nurses in RN-BSN courses at two colleges in Korea. The level of legal awareness was measured using a 25-item Legal Awareness Questionnaire developed by the authors. The measuring instrument for attitudes toward doctor's duty to supervise nurses and nurses' liability was the Attitude toward Duty and Liability Questionnaire, which was modified by the authors. There were significant correlation between attitude toward doctor's duty and nurses' liability, but not between legal awareness and liability attitude. The results of this study suggest that the present educational content aimed at improving liability attitudes of nurses should be refocused with attitude-oriented education and should include an understanding of the increased accountability that comes with greater autonomy in nursing practice.