Ch.3 Laws and Ethics

Question 1

A nurse practice act (statute that legally defines the unique role of the nurse and differentiates it from that of other health care practitioners) is one example of a ____________ law.

Answer 1

Statutory

Question 2

The ethical principle ____________ means the duty to be honest and to avoid deceiving or misleading a client.

Answer 2

Veracity

Question 3

____________ is the ethical study based on duty or moral obligations, which proposes that the outcome is not the primary issue; rather, decisions must be based on the morality of the act itself.

Answer 3

Deontology

Question 4

____________ insurance is a contract between a person or corporation and a company willing to provide legal services and financial assistance when the policyholder is involved in a malpractice lawsuit; it is a necessity for all practicing nurses

Answer 4

Liability

Question 5

____________ is an unlawful act in which untrue information harms a person’s reputation.

Answer 5

Defamation

Question 6

____________ is a litigation in which one person asserts that a physical, emotional, or financial injury was a consequence of another person’s actions or failure to act.

Answer 6

Tort

Question 7

____________, also known as utilitarianism, is an ethical theory based on final outcomes resulting in decisions that are best for the most people involved.

Answer 7

Teleology

Question 8

A(n) ____________ is a serious criminal offense, such as murder, falsifying medical records, insurance fraud, and stealing narcotics.

Answer 8

Felony

Question 9

____________ law, also known as judicial law, interprets legal issues based on previous court decisions in similar cases (legal precedents).

Answer 9

Common

Question 10

____________ laws are legal provisions through which federal, state, and local agencies maintain self-regulation.

Answer 10

Administrative

Question 11

Identify the figure

Answer 11

The figure provided is an incident report.

Question 12

What is the role of the nurse in filling out an incident report?

Answer 12

The nurse has an important role in filling out the incident report. All witnesses are identified by name. Any pertinent statements made by the injured person, before or after the incident, are quoted. Accurate and detailed documentation often helps to prove that the nurse acted reasonably or appropriately in the circumstances.

Question 13

What are the important factors the nurse should keep in mind while completing an incident report?

Answer 13

The incident report should include five important pieces: when the incident occurred, where it happened, who was involved, what happened, and what actions were taken.

Question 14

Identify the figure

Answer 14

The figure is the format of a living will.

Question 15

What is meant by advance directives?

Answer 15

An advance directive is a written statement identifying a competent person’s wishes concerning terminal care. The two types of advance directives are a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care.

Question 16

Can the nurse sign as a witness in a living will?

Answer 16

The nurse and the health care workers cannot sign the living will of a client in their health care facility.

Question 17

An act in which bodily harm is threatened or attempted

Answer 17

Assault

Question 18

Unauthorized physical contact that includes touching a person’s body, clothing, chair, or bed

Answer 18

Battery

Question 19

Character attack uttered orally in the presence of others

Answer 19

Slander

Question 20

Damaging statements written and read by others

Answer 20

Libel

Question 21

What is meant by allocation of scarce resources?

Answer 21

Allocation of scarce resources is the process of deciding how to distribute limited life-saving equipment or procedures among several people who could benefit.
Such decisions are difficult. In effect, those who receive the resources have a greater chance to live, whereas those who do not may die prematurely.
One strategy is that of first come, first served. Another is to project what would produce the most good for the most people, although predicting the future is impossible.

Question 22

What is meant by code status?

Answer 22

Code status refers to how health care personnel are required to manage care in case of cardiac or respiratory arrest. Without a written order from the physician to the contrary, the client is designated as a full code. A full code means that all measures to resuscitate the client are used. Some clients specify using drugs, but refuse cardiac defibrillation or endotracheal intubation for mechanical ventilation. For anything less than a full code, the physician must write an order to that effect in the client’s medical record.

Question 23

What is a living will?

Answer 23

Code status refers to how health care personnel are required to manage care in case of cardiac or respiratory arrest. Without a written order from the physician to the contrary, the client is designated as a full code. A full code means that all measures to resuscitate the client are used. Some clients specify using drugs, but refuse cardiac defibrillation or endotracheal intubation for mechanical ventilation. For anything less than a full code, the physician must write an order to that effect in the client’s medical record.

Question 24

What are some common ethical issues that recur in nursing practices?

Answer 24

Several ethical issues recur in nursing practice. Examples include telling the truth, maintaining confidentiality, withholding or withdrawing treatment, advocating for ethical allocation of scarce resources, and protecting vulnerable people from unsafe practices or practitioners.

Question 25

What is the meaning of autonomy in client care?

Answer 25

Autonomy refers to a competent person’s right to make their own choices without intimidation or influence.
For a person to make a decision, they must have all relevant information, including treatment options, in a language they understand.
The client always has the option of obtaining a second opinion from another practitioner.
One outcome may be that the client declines all possible options for treatment—a decision that must be respected.

Question 26

A client is brought to the emergency department with blunt injury on the abdomen resulting from a motor vehicle accident. The client is unconscious and not accompanied by their family, but has identification in their pocket. The surgeon decides that the client has to be taken up for surgery because they are bleeding in their abdomen.

What should the health care team do in case there is nobody to provide consent for surgery?

Answer 26

The health care team should conduct the surgery because it is lifesaving for the client. In an emergency, consent can be implied. In other words, it is assumed that in life-threatening circumstances, a client would give consent for treatment if they were able to understand the risks. However, another physician must concur that the emergency procedure is essential. Meanwhile, the nurse can track down the client’s details and inform the family.

Question 27

*A client is brought to the emergency department with blunt injury on the abdomen resulting from a motor vehicle accident. The client is unconscious and not accompanied by their family, but has identification in their pocket. The surgeon decides that the client has to be taken up for surgery because they are bleeding in their abdomen.

Should the act be considered battery?

Answer 27

The act does not equate to battery because the surgery is done to save the life of the client, and consent in an emergency situation is implied.