ABSTRACT
Former subservience of nursing to medicine has been replaced by professional autonomy. Autonomy brings responsibilities and individual accountability. This chapter explores issues of what professional practice means, accountability of nurses, professional standards and civil law of negligence, issues affecting all registered nurses. Every nurse is accountable for their own practice (NMC, 2004), but ICU often heightens problems due to
■ critical conditions of patients ■ differing roles of ICU nurses (see Chapter 1) ■ increased technology.
