Ch. 22 & 23 Flashcards
Accountability
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.
Advocacy
Process whereby a nurse objectively provides patients with the information they need to make decisions and supports the patients in whatever decisions they make.
Autonomy
Ability or tendency to function independently.
Beneficence
Doing good or actively promoting doing good; one of the four principles of the ethical theory of deontology.
Casuistry
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”.
Code of Ethics
Formal statement that delineates a profession’s guidelines for ethical behavior. Sets standards or expectations for the professional to achieve.
Confidentiality
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.
Consequentialism
Emphasis is ion the outcome or consequence or action.
Deontology
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.
Ethics
Principles or standards that govern proper conduct.
Ethics of care
Delivery of health care based on ethical principles and standards of care.
Feminist ethics
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.
Fidelity
Agreement to keep a promise.
Justice
Ethical standard of fairness.
Nonmaleficence
Fundamental ethical agreement to do no harm. closely related to the ethical standard of beneficence.
Responsibility
Carrying out duties associated with a particular role.
Teleology
Meaning “end” or the study of ends or final causes.
Utilitarianism
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.
Value
Personal belief about the worth of a given idea or behavior.
Administrative law or regulatory law
Reflects decisions made by administrative bodies such as State Boards of Nursing when rules and regulations are passed.
Assault
Unlawful threat to bring about harmful or offensive contact with another.
Battery
Legal term for touching another’s body without consent.
Civil laws
Statues concerned with protecting a person’s rights.
Common laws
One source for law that is created by judicial decisions as opposed to those created by legislative bodies (statutory law).
Criminal laws
Concerned with acts that threaten society but may involve only an individual.
Defamation of character
Publication of false statements that result in damage to a person’s reputation.
Durable power of attorney for health care
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.
False imprisonment
Unjustified restraint of a person without a legal reason.
Felony
Crime of a serious nature that carries a penalty of imprisonment or death.
Good samaritan laws
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.
Informed consent
Process of obtaining permission from a pt to perform a specific test or procedure after describing all risks, side effects, and benefits.
Intentional torts
Are deliberate acts that violate another’s rights such as assault, battery, and false imprisonment.
Invasion of privacy
Protects a pt’s right to be free from unwanted intrusion into his or her private affairs.
Libel
Written defamation of character.
Living wills
Instruments by which a dying person makes wishes known.
Malpractice
Injurious or unprofessional actions that harm another.
Misdemeanor
Lesser crime than a felony; the penalty is usually a fine or imprisonment for less than 1 year.
Negligence
Careless act of omission or commission that results in injury to another.
Never events
Are preventable errors, which may include falls, urinary tract infections form improper use of catheters, and pressure ulcers.
Nurse practice acts
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.
Occurrence report
Incidence report.
Privacy
The right of pts to keep personal information from being disclosed.
Quasi-intentional torts
Acts in which intent is lacking but volitional action and direct causation occur such as in invasion of privacy and defamation of character.
Risk management
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.
Slander
Occurs when one speaks falsely about another.
Standards of care
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.
Statutory law
Of or related to laws enacted by a legislative branch of the government.
Torts
Act that causes injury for which the injured party can bring civil action.
Unintentional torts
Includes negligence or malpractice.
