One of the primary goals of nursing is safe and efficient patient care, which can be achieved through skilled assessment and communication. The case of Lewis Blackman illustrates the effects of ineffective nursing communication and poor patient safety resulting from violations of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Standards of Practice and Performance and the ANA Code of Ethics. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has provided guidance in 3 reports that, along with Recommended Practices and I-SBAR, will provide guidance to improve patient safety. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A 15-year-old boy, Lewis Blackman, came to the Medical University in South Carolina (MUSC) to receive elective surgery for a chest condition (Monk, 2002). After surgery, Blackman was placed on Toradol for pain, which can cause stomach ulcers and requires close monitoring. Due to ineffective assessment and communication, Blackman dies of a perforated ulcer. The ANA Standards of Practice and Performance and the ANA Code of Ethics will provide guidelines for analyzing errors made by nurses in Blackman's case. Blackman's case illustrates the ANA Evaluation Practice Standard and Communication Performance Standard guidelines that were not met. Assessment is the way in which the professional nurse collects complete patient data (ANA, 2010). In Blackman's case, an efficient assessment was not obtained because accurate early vital signs were not assessed. Nurses are required to incorporate patient assessment, data collection, help, and symptom recognition to make decisions into an ongoing assessment to improve patient care (Voepel-Lewis, 2006). Nursing communication must be efficient for patient care to be achieved, which in Blackman's case was a negative (ANA, 2010). Blackman's case showed poor communication between nurses and doctors due to differences in data and poor handoff communication, along with poor communication between the nurse and patient due to incorrect information. In Blackman's evaluation, the nurses documented a heart rate of 126 while the doctor documented 80. This miscommunication led to Blackman's death. Doctor-nurse communication and collaboration provide positive outcomes for patients (Torppa et al., 2006). Communication between the nurse and the patient failed because the nurse did not gain the trust of Blackman's mother. Nurses initiate discussion, identify topics for consultation and take an active role in patient care (Torppa et. al, 2006). Assessment and communication of healthcare providers and healthcare recipients must be efficient for patient care to occur. The ANA Code of Ethics analyzes the nurses in the Blackman case. In Disposition 3, nurses promote, support, and strive to protect the patient and correct ineffective nursing behaviors (Towney, 2008). In Blackman's case, nurses were not preventing harm because the patient was not monitored frequently. The need for frequent monitoring and evaluation can detect postoperative complications (Voepel-Lewis, 2012). In Provision 4 nurses are responsible and accountable; Charge nurses are responsible and accountable for care.