2020 Exam 2 Flashcards
A patient suffered a brain injury from a motor vehicle accident and has no brain activity. The patient has a living will which states no heroic measures. The family requests that no additional heroic measures be instituted for their son. The nurse respects this decision in keeping with which principle?
a. Accountability
b. Autonomy
c. Nonmaleficence
d. Veracity
b. Autonomy
Patients and families must be treated in a way that respects their autonomy and their ability to express their wishes and make informed choices about their treatment. Accountability is inherent in the nurse’s ethical obligation to uphold the highest standards of practice and care, assume full personal and professional responsibility for every action, and commit to maintaining quality in the skill and knowledge base of the profession. Nonmaleficence is a principle that implies a duty not to inflict harm. In ethical terms, nonmaleficence means to abstain from injuring others and to help others further their own well-being by removing harm and eliminating threats. Veracity means telling the truth as a moral and ethical requirement.
A male patient suffered a brain injury from a motor vehicle accident and has no brain activity. The spouse has come up to see the patient every day for the past 2 months. She asks the nurse, “Do you think when he moves his hands he is responding to my voice?” The nurse feels bad because she believes the movements are involuntary, and the prognosis is grim for this patient. She states, “He can hear you, and it appears he did respond to your voice.” The nurse is violating which principle of ethics?
a. Autonomy
b. Veracity
c. Utilitarianism
d. Deontology
b. Veracity
Veracity is the principle of telling the truth in a given situation. Autonomy is the principle of respect for the individual person; this concept states that humans have incalculable worth or moral dignity. Utilitarianism is an approach that is rooted in the assumption that an action or practice is right if it leads to the greatest possible balance of good consequences or to the least possible balance of bad consequences. Giving the spouse false reassurance is not a good consequence. Deontologic theory claims that a decision is right only if it conforms to an overriding moral duty and wrong only if it violates that moral duty. Persons are to be treated as ends in themselves and never as means to the ends of others.
The nurse is faced with an ethical issue. When assessing the ethical issue, which action should the nurse perform first?
a. Ask, “What is the issue?”
b. Identify all possible alternatives.
c. Select the best option from a list of alternatives.
d. Justify the choice of action or inaction.
a. Ask, “What is the issue?”
The first step in the situational assessment procedure is to find out the technical and scientific facts and assess the human dimension of the situation—the feelings, emotions, attitudes, and opinions. Trying to understand the full picture of a situation is time consuming and requires examination from many different perspectives, but it is worth the time and effort that is required to understand an issue fully before moving forward in the assessment procedure. Identifying alternatives is the second step in the situation assessment procedure. A set of alternatives cannot be established until an assessment has been completed. Selecting the best option is actually the third step in the situation assessment procedure. Options cannot be selected until an assessment has been done to define the issue. Justifying the action or inaction is the final step in the situational assessment procedure. No justification can be made until the assessment and action phases have been completed.
A nursing student is conducting a survey of fellow nursing students. Which ethical concept is the student following when calculating the risk-to-benefit ratio and concluding that no harmful effects were associated with a survey?
a. Beneficence
b. Human dignity
c. Justice
d. Human rights
a. Beneficence
Beneficence is a term that is defined as promoting goodness, kindness, and charity. In ethical terms, beneficence means to provide benefit to others by promoting their good. Human dignity is the inherent worth and uniqueness of a person. Justice involves upholding moral and legal principles. Human rights are the basic rights of each individual.
A nurse on the unit makes an error in the calculation of the dose of medication for a critically ill patient. The patient suffered no ill consequences from the administration. The nurse decides not to report the error or file an incident report. The nurse is violating which principle of ethics?
a. Fidelity
b. Individuality
c. Justice
d. Values clarification
a. Fidelity
Fidelity is the principle that requires us to act in ways that are loyal. In the role of a nurse, such action includes keeping your promises, doing what is expected of you, performing your duties, and being trustworthy. Individuality is something that distinguishes one person or thing from others. Injustice is when a person is denied a right or entitlement. Values clarification is a tool that allows the nurse to examine personal values in terms of ethical situations.
An unconscious patient is treated in the emergency department for head trauma. The patient is unconscious and on life support for 2 weeks prior to making a full recovery. The initial actions of the medical team are based on which ethical principle?
a. Utilitarianism
b. Deontology
c. Autonomy
d. Veracity
b. Deontology
Deontology is an approach that is rooted in the assumption that humans are rational and act out of principles that are consistent and objective and that compel them to do what is right. Deontologic theory claims that a decision is right only if it conforms to an overriding moral duty and wrong only if it violates that moral duty. Utilitarianism is an approach that is rooted in the assumption that an action or practice is right if it leads to the greatest possible balance of good consequences or to the least possible balance of bad consequences. An attempt is made to determine which actions will lead to the greatest ratio of benefit to harm for all persons involved in the dilemma. Autonomy is the principle of respect for the individual person. People are free to form their own judgments and perform whatever actions they choose. Veracity is defined as telling the truth in personal communication as a moral and ethical requirement.
A drug-addicted nurse switches a patient’s morphine injection with normal saline so that the nurse can use the morphine. The nurse is violating which principles of ethics? (Select all that apply.)
a. Autonomy
b. Utilitarianism
c. Beneficence
d. Dilemmas
e. Veracity
ANS: A, B, C, E
a. Autonomy
b. Utilitarianism
c. Beneficence
e. Veracity
Beneficence is providing benefit to others by promoting their welfare. In general terms, to be beneficent is to promote goodness, kindness, and charity. By taking the patient’s pain medication and substituting saline, the nurse did harm, not good, for the patient. Autonomy is the principle of respect for the individual person; the nurse does not respect someone upon whom the nurse is inflicting harm. Utilitarianism is the principle that assumes that an action is right if it leads to the greatest possible balance of good consequences or to the least possible balance of bad consequences. Because the patient’s pain medication was taken away, the consequences were all bad. Dilemmas are not included as a principle of ethics. Veracity involves truth-telling.
Four patients in labor all request epidural analgesia to manage their pain at the same time. Which ethical principle is most compromised when only one nurse anesthetist is on call?
a. Justice
b. Fidelity
c. Beneficence
d. Nonmaleficence
a. Justice
Justice refers to fairness and is used frequently in discussion regarding access to health care resources. Here the just distribution of resources, in this case pain management, cannot be justly apportioned. Nonmaleficence refers to avoidance of harm; beneficence refers to taking positive actions to help others. Fidelity refers to the agreement to keep promises. Each of these principles is partially expressed in the question; however, justice is most comprised because not all laboring patients have equal access to pain management owing to lack of personnel resources.
The patient reports to the nurse of being afraid to speak up regarding a desire to end care for fear of upsetting spouse and children. Which principle in the nursing code of ethics ensures that the nurse will promote the patient’s cause?
a. Advocacy
b. Responsibility
c. Confidentiality
d. Accountability
a. Advocacy
Nurses advocate for patients when they support the patient’s cause. A nurse’s ability to adequately advocate for a patient is based on the unique relationship that develops and the opportunity to better understand the patient’s point of view. Responsibility refers to respecting one’s professional obligations and following through on promises. Confidentiality deals with privacy issues, and accountability refers to answering for one’s actions.
The patient’s son requests to view documentation in the medical record. What is the nurse’s best response to this request?
a. “I’ll be happy to get that for you.”
b. “You are not allowed to look at it.”
c. “You will need your mother’s permission.”
d. “I cannot let you see the chart without a doctor’s order.”
c. “You will need your mother’s permission.”
The mother’s permission is needed. The nurse understands that sharing health information is governed by HIPAA legislation, which defines rights and privileges of patients for protection of privacy. Private health information cannot be shared without the patient’s specific permission. The nurse cannot obtain the records without permission. The son can look at it after approval from the patient. While talking to the physician or getting an order is appropriate, the patient
When professionals work together to solve ethical dilemmas, nurses must examine their own values. What is the best rationale for this step?
a. So fact is separated from opinion
b. So different perspectives are respected
c. So judgmental attitudes can be provoked
d. So the group identifies the one correct solution
b. So different perspectives are respected
Values are personal beliefs that influence behavior. To negotiate differences of value, it is important to be clear about your own values: what you value, why, and how you respect your own values even as you try to respect those of others whose values differ from yours. Ethical dilemmas are a problem in that no one right solution exists. It is not to separate fact from opinion. Judgmental attitudes are not to be used, much less provoked.
A nurse is experiencing an ethical dilemma with a patient. Which information indicates the nurse has a correct understanding of the primary cause of ethical dilemmas?
a. Unequal power
b. Presence of conflicting values
c. Judgmental perceptions of patients
d. Poor communication with the patient
b. Presence of conflicting values
Ethical dilemmas almost always occur in the presence of conflicting values. While unequal power, judgmental perceptions, and poor communication can contribute to the dilemma, these are not causes of a dilemma. Without clarification of values, t
The nurse questions a health care provider’s decision to not tell the patient about a cancer diagnosis. Which ethical principle is the nurse trying to uphold for the patient?
a. Consequentialism
b. Autonomy
c. Fidelity
d. Justice
b. Autonomy
The nurse is upholding autonomy. Autonomy refers to the freedom to make decisions free of external control. Respect for patient autonomy refers to the commitment to include patients in decisions about all aspects of care. Consequentialism is focused on the outcome and is a philosophical approach. Justice refers to fairness and is most often used in discussions about access to health care resources. Fidelity refers to the agreement to keep promises.
The nurse finds it difficult to care for a patient whose advance directive states that no extraordinary resuscitation measures should be taken. Which step may help the nurse to find resolution in this assignment?
a. Scrutinize personal values.
b. Call for an ethical committee consult.
c. Decline the assignment on religious grounds.
d. Convince the family to challenge the directive.
a. Scrutinize personal values.
Clarifying values—your own, your patients’, your co-workers’—is an important and effective part of ethical discourse. Calling for a consult, declining the assignment, and convincing the family to challenge the patient’s directive are not ideal resolutions because they do not address the reason for the nurse’s discomfort, which is the conflict between the nurse’s values and those of the patient. The nurse should value the patient’s decisions over the nurse’s personal values.
The nurse values autonomy above all other principles. Which patient assignment will the nurse find most difficult to accept?
a. Older-adult patient who requires dialysis
b. Teenager in labor who requests epidural anesthesia
c. Middle-aged father of three with an advance directive declining life support
d. Family elder who is making the decisions for a young-adult female member
d. Family elder who is making the decisions for a young-adult female member
Autonomy refers to freedom from external control. A person who values autonomy highly may find it difficult to accept situations where the patient is not the primary decision maker regarding his or her care. A teenager requesting an epidural, a father with an advance directive, and an elderly patient requiring dialysis all describe a patient or family who can make their own decisions and choices regarding care.
A nurse must make an ethical decision concerning vulnerable patient populations. Which philosophy of health care ethics would be particularly useful for this nurse?
a. Teleology
b. Deontology
c. Utilitarianism
d. Feminist ethics
d. Feminist ethics
Feminist ethics particularly focuses on the nature of relationships, especially those where there is a power imbalance or a point of view that is ignored or invisible. Deontology refers to making decisions or “right-making characteristics,” bioethics focuses on consensus building, while utilitarianism and teleology speak to the greatest good for the greatest number.
A nurse agrees with regulations for mandatory immunizations of children. The nurse believes that immunizations prevent diseases as well as prevent spread of the disease to others. Which ethical framework is the nurse using?
a. Deontology
b. Ethics of care
c. Utilitarianism
d. Feminist ethics
c. Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is a system of ethics that believes that value is determined by usefulness. This system of ethics focuses on the outcome of the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Deontology would not look to consequences of actions but on the “right-making characteristic” such as fidelity and justice. The ethics of care emphasizes the role of feelings. Relationships, which are an important component of feminist ethics, are not addressed in this case.
The nurse has become aware of missing narcotics in the patient care area. Which ethical principle obligates the nurse to report the missing medications?
a. Advocacy
b. Responsibility
c. Confidentiality
d. Accountability
b. Responsibility
Responsibility refers to one’s willingness to respect and adhere to one’s professional obligations. It is the nurse’s responsibility to report missing narcotics. Accountability refers to the ability to answer for one’s actions. Advocacy refers to the support of a particular cause. The concept of confidentiality is very important in health care and involves protecting patients’ personal health information.
A young woman who is pregnant with a fetus exposed to multiple teratogens consents to have her fetus undergo serial PUBS (percutaneous umbilical blood sampling) to examine how exposure affects the fetus over time. Although these tests will not improve the fetus’s outcomes and will expose it to some risks, the information gathered may help infants in the future. Which ethical principle is at greatest risk?
a. Fidelity
b. Autonomy
c. Beneficence
d. Nonmaleficence
d. Nonmaleficence
Nonmaleficence is the ethical principle that focuses on avoidance of harm or hurt. Repeated PUBS may expose the mother and fetus to some risks. Fidelity refers to the agreement to keep promises (obtain serial PUBS). Autonomy refers to freedom from external control (mother consented), and beneficence refers to taking positive actions to help others
A nurse is discussing quality of life issues with another colleague. Which topic will the nurse acknowledge for increased attention paid to quality of life concerns?
a. Health care disparities
b. Aging of the population
c. Abilities of disabled persons
d. Health care financial reform
c. Abilities of disabled persons
The population of disabled persons in the United States and elsewhere has reshaped the discussion about quality of life (QOL). Health care disparities, an aging population, and health care reform are components impacted by personal definitions of quality but are not the underlying reason why QOL discussions have arisen.
Which action by the nurse indicates a safe and efficient use of social networks?
a. Promotes support for a local health charity
b. Posts a picture of a patient’s infected foot
c. Vents about a patient problem at work
d. Friends a patient
a. Promotes support for a local health charity
Social networks can be a supportive source of information about patient care or professional nursing activities. Even if you post an image of a patient without any obvious identifiers, the nature of shared media reposting can result in the image surfacing in a place where just the context of the image provides clues for friends or family to identify the patient. The ANA and NCSBN states, “Effective nurse-patient relationships are built on trust. Patients need to be confident that
their most personal information and their basic dignity will be protected by the nurse.” Becoming friends in online chat rooms, Facebook, or other public sites can interfere with your ability to maintain a therapeutic relationship.
The nurse is caring for a dying patient. Which intervention is considered futile?
a. Giving pain medication for pain
b. Providing oral care every 5 hours
c. Administering the influenza vaccine
d. Supporting lower extremities with pillows
c. Administering the influenza vaccine
Administering the influenza vaccine is futile. A vaccine is administered to prevent or lessen the likelihood of contracting an infectious disease at some time in the future. The term futile refers to something that is hopeless or serves no useful purpose. In health care discussions the term refers to interventions unlikely to produce benefit for a patient. Care delivered to a patient at the end of life that is focused on pain management, oral hygiene, and comfort measures is not futile.
During a severe respiratory epidemic, the local health care organizations decide to give health care workers priority access to ventilators over other members of the community who also need that resource. Which philosophy would give the strongest support for this decision?
a. Deontology
b. Utilitarianism
c. Ethics of care
d. Feminist ethics
b. Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism focuses on the greatest good for the most people; the organizations decide to ensure that as many health care workers as possible will survive to care for other members of the community. Deontology defines actions as right or wrong based on their “right-making characteristics” such as fidelity to promises, truthfulness, and justice. Feminist ethics looks to the nature of relationships to guide participants in making difficult decisions, especially relationships in which power is unequal or in which a point of view has become ignored or invisible. The ethics of care and feminist ethics are closely related, but ethics of care emphasizes the role of feelings.
A nurse is teaching a patient and family about quality of life. Which information should the nurse include in the teaching session about quality of life?
a. It is deeply social.
b. It is hard to define.
c. It is an observed measurement for most people.
d. It is consistent and stable over the course of one’s lifetime.
b. It is hard to define.
Quality of life remains deeply individual (not social) and difficult to predict. Quality of life is not just a measurable entity but a shared responsibility. Quality of life measures may take into account the age of the patient, the patient’s ability to live independently, his or her ability to contribute to society in a gainful way, and other nuanced measures of quality.
The nurse is caring for a patient supported with a ventilator who has been unresponsive since arrival via ambulance 8 days ago. The patient has not been identified, and no family members have been found. The nurse is concerned about the plan of care regarding maintenance or withdrawal of life support measures. Place the steps the nurse will use to resolve this ethical dilemma in the correct order.
- The nurse identifies possible solutions or actions to resolve the dilemma.
- The nurse reviews the medical record, including entries by all health care disciplines, to gather information relevant to this patient’s situation.
- Health care providers use negotiation to redefine the patient’s plan of care.
- The nurse evaluates the plan and revises it with input from other health care providers as necessary.
- The nurse examines the issue to clarify opinions, values, and facts.
- The nurse states the problem.
a. 6, 1, 2, 5, 4, 3
b. 5, 6, 2, 3, 4, 1
c. 1, 2, 5, 4, 3, 6
d. 2, 5, 6, 1, 3, 4
ANS: d. 2, 5, 6, 1, 3, 4
Step 1. Gather as much information as possible that is relevant to the case.
Step 2. Examine and determine your values about the issues.
Step 3. Verbalize the problem.
Step 4. Consider possible courses of action.
Step 5. Negotiate the outcome.
Step 6. Evaluate the action.
A nurse is a member of the ethics committee. Which purposes will the nurse fulfill in this committee? (Select all that apply.)
a. Education
b. Case consultation
c. Purchasing power
d. Direct patient care
e. Policy recommendation
ANS: A, B, E
a. Education
b. Case consultation
e. Policy recommendation
An ethics committee devoted to the teaching and processing of ethical issues and dilemmas exists in most health care facilities. It is generally multidisciplinary and it serves several purposes: education, policy recommendation, and case consultation. It does not have purchasing power or provide direct patient care.
The manager in the coronary care unit believes that the most important ethical considerations in performance evaluations are that they include the employee’s good qualities and that they give positive direction for professional growth. This belief is an example of:
a. Justice.
b. Fidelity.
c. Beneficence.
d. Nonmaleficence.
d. Nonmaleficence.
Nonmaleficence refers to “doing no harm.” For a nurse manager following this principle, performance evaluation should emphasize an employee’s good qualities and give positive direction for growth. Destroying the employee’s self-esteem and self-worth would be considered doing harm under this principle.
A staff nurse in the area that you manage has excelled in the delivery of patient education. You are considering implementing a new job description that would broaden her opportunity to teach patients and orient new staff members to the value of patient education. The ethical principle that you are most directly reinforcing is:
a. Justice.
b. Fidelity.
c. Paternalism.
d. Respect for others.
c. Paternalism.
The principle of paternalism allows one person to make partial decisions for another and is most frequently deemed to be a negative or undesirable principle. Paternalism, however, may be used to assist persons to make decisions when they do not have sufficient data or expertise. Paternalism becomes undesirable when the entire decision is taken away from the employee.
A patient refuses a simple procedure that you believe is in the patient’s best interest. The two ethical principles that are directly in conflict in such a situation are:
a. Fidelity and justice.
b. Veracity and fidelity.
c. Autonomy and beneficence.
d. Paternalism and respect for others.
c. Autonomy and beneficence.
Autonomy refers to the freedom to make a choice (e.g., refuse a procedure), and beneficence to doing good (performing a procedure that will benefit the patient).
An individual in a wheelchair is applying for the position of receptionist in an outpatient clinic. The nurse manager understands that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that employers:
a. Make reasonable accommodations for persons who are disabled.
b. Allow modified job expectations for persons recovering from alcoholism.
c. Hire disabled individuals before hiring other qualified, non-disabled persons.
d. Treat, for purposes of employment, homosexuals and bisexuals as disabled.
a. Make reasonable accommodations for persons who are disabled.
The purposes of the ADA are to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities and to provide consistent, enforceable standards to address discrimination in the workplace.
A staff nurse who was fired for reporting patient abuse to the appropriate state agency files a whistleblower lawsuit against the former employer. Reasons that the court would use in upholding a valid whistleblower suit claiming retaliation include that the nurse:
a. Had previously reported the complaint, in writing, to hospital administration.
b. Had threatened to give full details of the patient abuse to local media sources.
c. Was discharged after three unsuccessful attempts at progressive discipline had failed.
d. Had organized, before filing the complaint, a work stoppage action by fellow employees.
a. Had previously reported the complaint, in writing, to hospital administration.
An employer is unable to fire an employee who, in good faith, reports what is believed to be a violation of a law, rule, or state or federal law.
In keeping with standards of The Joint Commission (TJC), the nurse manager organizes an orientation for new staff members. As part of the orientation, the nurse manager reviews the employee handbook. Employers may be bound to statements in the employee handbook:
a. Under the doctrine of apparent agency.
b. Under the doctrine of respondeat agency.
c. Based on the employee’s or the employer’s expectations.
d. Based on the theory that the handbook creates an explicit contract.
c. Based on the employee’s or the employer’s expectations.
The handbook is an implied contract and frames the employment contract.
To reduce the incidence of falls in a skilled nursing unit, the nurse manager contacts the risk manager. Risk management is a process that attempts to identify potential hazards and:
a. Compensate for previous injuries.
b. Eliminate these risks before anyone else is harmed.
c. Supersede the need for staff members to file incident reports.
d. Discipline staff members who have been involved in previous incident reports.
b. Eliminate these risks before anyone else is harmed.
Risk management involves taking proactive steps to identify and eliminate risks and liability.
One means of ensuring that nurses floated to other patient care areas in healthcare organizations are qualified to work in those areas is:
a. Employing additional staff to assist with orientation processes.
b. Cross-educating staff members to other areas of the institution.
c. Transferring patients to units where the staffing pattern is optimal.
d. Orienting staff members to all patient care areas as part of their general orientation to the institution.
b. Cross-educating staff members to other areas of the institution.
Nurses should be floated to units as similar as possible to their own to decrease the potential for liability. Negotiating cross-training, a proactive approach to temporary staffing problems, reduces the potential for liability.
A colleague asks you to give her your password access so that she can view her partner’s healthcare record. This request violates the patient’s right to:
a. Privacy.
b. Confidentiality.
c. Undue authorization of treatment.
d. Protection against slander.
a. Privacy.
Privacy refers to the right to protection against unreasonable and unwarranted interference with the patient’s solitude. Privacy standards limit how personal health information may be used or shared and mandate safeguards for the protection of health information. Institutions can reduce potential liability in this area by allowing access to patient data, either written or oral, only to those with a “need to know.” Persons with a need to know include physicians and nurses caring for the patient, technicians, unit clerks, therapists, social service workers, and patient advocates. Others wishing to access patient data must first ask the patient for permission to review a record.
On your nursing unit, you employ LPNs, RNs, and advanced practice nurses. You will need to be familiar with at least:
a. Two nursing practice acts.
b. Two nursing practice acts in most states.
c. At least one nursing practice act.
d. One nursing practice act and a medical act.
c. At least one nursing practice act.
In all states, you will need to be familiar with at least one nursing practice act. In some states, there may be two nursing practice acts if RNs and LPNs/LVNs come under different licensing boards.
A nurse on your inpatient psychiatric unit is found to have made sexually explicit remarks toward a patient with a previous history of sexual abuse. The patient sues, claiming malpractice. Which of the following conditions may not apply in this situation?
a. Injury
b. Causation
c. Breach of duty
d. Breach of duty of care owed
a. Injury
By virtue of employment, the nurse owes a duty of care to the patient; this care has been breached by a nurse, who would be expected to know that this behavior violates usual standards of care. The resultant injury, the fifth malpractice element, must be physical, not merely psychological or transient. In other words, some physical harm must be incurred by the patient before malpractice will be found against the healthcare provider, which is not evident in this situation where the action did not involve physical harm.
As a charge nurse, you counsel your RN staff member that he has satisfied his duty of care by notifying a child’s physician of his concerns about deterioration in the child’s status at 0330 hours. The physician does not come in. The child dies at 0630 hours. As the charge nurse, you could be held liable for:
a. Professional negligence.
b. Assault.
c. Avoidance.
d. Murder.
a. Professional negligence.
Professional negligence can be asserted when there is failure to do what a reasonable and prudent nurse would do in the same situation. In this situation, the charge nurse might have advocated further for the patient in light of the evident seriousness of the child’s condition.
The parents of a toddler who dies after being brought to the ER launch a lawsuit, claiming that the failure of nurses to pursue concerns related to their son’s deteriorating condition contributed to his death. The senior nurse executive is named in the suit:
a. As a global respondent.
b. Under the doctrine of respondeat superior.
c. As a frivolous action.
d. Under the element of causation.
b. Under the doctrine of respondeat superior.
Known as vicarious liability, the doctrine of respondeat superior makes employers accountable for the negligence of their employees, using the rationale that the employee could not have been in a position to have caused the wrongdoing unless hired by the employer.
During a staff shortage, you hire an RN from a temporary agency. The RN administers a wrong IV medication that results in cardiac arrest and a difficult recovery for the patient. Liability in this situation:
a. Is limited to the temporary agency.
b. Is restricted to the RN.
c. Could include the RN, the agency, and your institution.
d. May depend on the patient’s belief regarding the employment relationship.
d. May depend on the patient’s belief regarding the employment relationship.
Apparent agency may apply here because your liability and that of your institution could be established if it can be shown that the patient believes that the RN was an employee of yours and of your institution.
You volunteer at a free community clinic. A 13-year-old girl claims to have been diagnosed with SLE and presents with chlamydia. The team leader at the clinic advises that:
a. The state-defined age of legal consent is 18; therefore, no treatment can be delivered.
b. The teen is underage and should be referred to the family general practitioner.
c. Care can be provided as long as consent is voluntary and information about treatment and options is provided.
d. Treatment is provided as long as telephone consent is obtained from a parent or legal guardian.
c. Care can be provided as long as consent is voluntary and information about treatment and options is provided.
All states have a legal age for consent; generally, this age is 18. However, emancipated minors, minors seeking treatment for substance abuse, and minors seeking treatment for communicable diseases can provide their own consent.
