Ch. 7: Medical/Legal Aspects Flashcards
Injuring a person’s name or character through malicious spoken statements is called:
slander
A paramedic who transports patients without their consent or other legal authority would most likely be subject to charges of:
False imprisonment
A civil wrong committed by one individual against another is a:
tort
Paramedic Smith came to work feeling tired and napped before his equipment and vehicle checklist. As a result, when called to a scene there was no medicine to administer a seizing patient. Ultimately, the patient stopped seizing and suffered no apparent adverse consequences. What element is used to establish negligence is missing in this case?
actual damages
Malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance are 3 types of:
breach of duty
The principle of law that prohibits the release of medical or other personal information about a patient without the patient’s permission is known as:
confidentiality
The category of law that deals with issues involving conflicts between two or more parties, such as personal injury cases, contract disputes, and matrimonial issues, is _________ law.
civil
When a court orders that a prisoner receive treatment the prisoner does not want, the treatment is based on __________ consent.
involuntary
There are ethical and societal limits to the interactions between paramedics or other health care personnel and the patients they serve. These are called:
professional boundaries
A patient has been treated by paramedics for a sprained wrist. En route to the hospital, she suffers a stroke. What is the likely outcome of a negligence lawsuit brought by the patient?
The suit would fail because the plaintiff could not demonstrate that the paramedics’ actions were the proximate cause of the stroke
When a PCR is found to be incomplete or inaccurate, the paramedic should:
add a dated and signed addendum to the original report
The degree of care, skill, and judgment that would be expected of any similarly trained, reasonable paramedic acting under similar circumstances is called the:
standard of care
What statement about civil suits regarding torts is generally true?
Plaintiff seeks to recover damages from the defendant
You have responded to a physician’s office for a terminal cancer patient in cardiac arrest. The physician says, “This is a chemical code only. Just give the meds, but don’t intubate or do CPR.” What should you do?
Tell the physician you are bound to treat the patient according to protocol. If the physician would like you to do something different, she must take complete responsibility for patient care.
What is best described as the unlawful touching of another individual without the individual’s consent?
battery
What is an example of good documentation?
it is thorough
Most of the laws that OSHA can use to enact regulations and statutes are _________ laws.
administrative
The four elements needed to sustain a charge of negligence against a paramedic are:
duty to act, breach of that duty, actual damages and proximate cause
What is true in the event that off-duty paramedics provide advanced life-support interventions at an emergency scene?
they may be charged with practicing medicine without a license
A paramedic performs an intervention on a patient that is contrary to current practices. The patient suffers an injury as a result of that intervention. This is an example of:
malfeasance
OSHA’s development of requirements to be followed at hazardous materials emergencies is an example of ________ law.
administrative
The duties and skills paramedics are allowed and expected to perform while carrying out their jobs are called the:
scope of practice
The type of consent that must be obtained from a conscious, competent adult patient before a paramedic can begin treatment is called _________ consent.
Informed
A patient is involved in a car crash. When the paramedics arrive, he complains of neck pain but refuses to let the medics immobilize his spine. The medics explain the risk of refusing treatment and have the patient sign a release-from-liability form. The patient suffers minor neurological damage and later sues, charging negligence on the part of the medics. What best explains why the patient is not likely to be awarded damages?
There was contributory negligence on the part of the patient
What is NOT a component of a civil suit?
Imprisonment
You are treating a patient who you think needs an IV of lactated Ringer’s. The patient, however, says he is frightened of needles and refuses to give his consent. If you display the IV catheter and bring it toward the patient, you may be charged with:
assault
