Ch. 22 & 23

Question 1

Accountability

Answer 1

state of being answerable for one’s actions - a nurse answers to himself or herself, the patient, the profession, the employing institution such as a hospital, and society for the effectiveness of nursing care performed.

Question 2

Advocacy

Answer 2

Process whereby a nurse objectively provides patients with the information they need to make decisions and supports the patients in whatever decisions they make.

Question 3

Autonomy

Answer 3

Ability or tendency to function independently.

Question 4

Beneficence

Answer 4

Doing good or actively promoting doing good; one of the four principles of the ethical theory of deontology.

Question 5

Casuistry

Answer 5

Case-based reasoning, turns away from conventional principles of ethics as a way to determine best actions and focuses instead on an “intimate understanding of particular situations”.

Question 6

Code of Ethics

Answer 6

Formal statement that delineates a profession’s guidelines for ethical behavior. Sets standards or expectations for the professional to achieve.

Question 7

Confidentiality

Answer 7

Act of keeping information private or secret; in health care the nurse only shares information about a pt with other nurses or health care providers who need to know private information about a pt to provide care for him or her; information can only be shared with the pt’s consent.

Question 8

Consequentialism

Answer 8

Emphasis is ion the outcome or consequence or action.

Question 9

Deontology

Answer 9

Traditional theory of ethics that proposes to define actions as right or wrong based on the characteristics of fidelity to promises, truthfulness, and justice. The conventional use of ethical terms such as justice, autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence constitutes the practice of deontology.

Question 10

Ethics

Answer 10

Principles or standards that govern proper conduct.

Question 11

Ethics of care

Answer 11

Delivery of health care based on ethical principles and standards of care.

Question 12

Feminist ethics

Answer 12

Ethical approach that focuses on 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.

Question 13

Fidelity

Answer 13

Agreement to keep a promise.

Question 14

Justice

Answer 14

Ethical standard of fairness.

Question 15

Nonmaleficence

Answer 15

Fundamental ethical agreement to do no harm. closely related to the ethical standard of beneficence.

Question 16

Responsibility

Answer 16

Carrying out duties associated with a particular role.

Question 17

Teleology

Answer 17

Meaning “end” or the study of ends or final causes.

Question 18

Utilitarianism

Answer 18

Ethic that proposes that the values of something is determined by its usefulness. The greatest good for the greatest number of people constitutes the guiding principle for action in a utilitarian model of ethics.

Question 19

Value

Answer 19

Personal belief about the worth of a given idea or behavior.

Question 20

Administrative law or regulatory law

Answer 20

Reflects decisions made by administrative bodies such as State Boards of Nursing when rules and regulations are passed.

Question 21

Assault

Answer 21

Unlawful threat to bring about harmful or offensive contact with another.

Question 22

Battery

Answer 22

Legal term for touching another’s body without consent.

Question 23

Civil laws

Answer 23

Statues concerned with protecting a person’s rights.

Question 24

Common laws

Answer 24

One source for law that is created by judicial decisions as opposed to those created by legislative bodies (statutory law).

Question 25

Criminal laws

Answer 25

Concerned with acts that threaten society but may involve only an individual.

Question 26

Defamation of character

Answer 26

Publication of false statements that result in damage to a person’s reputation.

Question 27

Durable power of attorney for health care

Answer 27

Legal document that designates a person or people of one’s choosing to make health care decisions when a pt is no longer able to make decisions on his or her own behalf.

Question 28

False imprisonment

Answer 28

Unjustified restraint of a person without a legal reason.

Question 29

Felony

Answer 29

Crime of a serious nature that carries a penalty of imprisonment or death.

Question 30

Good samaritan laws

Answer 30

Legislation enacted in some states to protect health care professionals form liability in rendering emergency aid unless there is proven willful wrong or gross negligence.

Question 31

Informed consent

Answer 31

Process of obtaining permission from a pt to perform a specific test or procedure after describing all risks, side effects, and benefits.

Question 32

Intentional torts

Answer 32

Are deliberate acts that violate another’s rights such as assault, battery, and false imprisonment.

Question 33

Invasion of privacy

Answer 33

Protects a pt’s right to be free from unwanted intrusion into his or her private affairs.

Question 34

Libel

Answer 34

Written defamation of character.

Question 35

Living wills

Answer 35

Instruments by which a dying person makes wishes known.

Question 36

Malpractice

Answer 36

Injurious or unprofessional actions that harm another.

Question 37

Misdemeanor

Answer 37

Lesser crime than a felony; the penalty is usually a fine or imprisonment for less than 1 year.

Question 38

Negligence

Answer 38

Careless act of omission or commission that results in injury to another.

Question 39

Never events

Answer 39

Are preventable errors, which may include falls, urinary tract infections form improper use of catheters, and pressure ulcers.

Question 40

Nurse practice acts

Answer 40

Statutes enacted by the legislature of any of the states or the appropriate officers of the districts or possessions that describe and define the cope of nursing practice.

Question 41

Occurrence report

Answer 41

Incidence report.

Question 42

Privacy

Answer 42

The right of pts to keep personal information from being disclosed.

Question 43

Quasi-intentional torts

Answer 43

Acts in which intent is lacking but volitional action and direct causation occur such as in invasion of privacy and defamation of character.

Question 44

Risk management

Answer 44

Function of hospital or other health facility administration that is directed toward identification, evaluation, and correction of potential risks that could lead to injury of pts, staff members, or visitors and result in property loss of damage.

Question 45

Slander

Answer 45

Occurs when one speaks falsely about another.

Question 46

Standards of care

Answer 46

Minimum level of care accepted to ensure high quality care to pts. Standards of care define the types of therapies typically administered to pts with defined problems or needs.

Question 47

Statutory law

Answer 47

Of or related to laws enacted by a legislative branch of the government.

Question 48

Torts

Answer 48

Act that causes injury for which the injured party can bring civil action.

Question 49

Unintentional torts

Answer 49

Includes negligence or malpractice.