In an increasingly legalised healthcare environment, this new handbook provides an essential guide to nursing professionalism in the context of the law. Author Mark Gibson, a former general and mental health nurse, takes the reader through the workings of the legal system and how nurses can apply the law in an ethical and principled way. The handbook helps the reader to consider complex issues such as biomedical ethics, human rights, negligence and the importance of confidentiality, and provides guidance on decision making when faced with legal or ethical dilemmas. Easy to understand and peppered with numerous practical examples throughout, the Handbook of Medical Law and Ethics for Nurses will support development of the essential legal awareness needed żeby undergraduate and post-graduate nurses alike.