Chapter 3 Laws and Ethics Key Terms Flashcards
administrative laws
Legal provisions through which federal, state, and local agencies maintain self-regulation affect the power to manage governmental agencies.
advance directive
A written statement identifying a competent person’s wishes concerning terminal care.
allocation of scarce resources
It is deciding how to distribute limited life-saving equipment or procedures among several who could benefit.
anecdotal record
A personal account of an incident It is not recorded on any official form or filed with administrative records.
assault
It is an act in which bodily harm is threatened or attempted. Such harm may be physical intimidation, remarks, or gestures.
assumption of risk
It is determined by whether a client is forewarned of a potential safety hazard and chooses to ignore the warning. If that occurs, the court may hold the client responsible.
autonomy
Refers to a competent person’s right to make his or her own choices without intimidation or influence.
battery
Unauthorized physical contact can include touching a person’s body, clothing, chair, or bed.
beneficence
“doing good” or acting for another’s benefit. To do good, an ethical person prevents or removes any potentially harmful factor.
board of nursing
The regulatory agency for managing the provisions of a state’s nurse practice act) is primarily responsible for protecting the public receiving nursing care within the state.
civil laws
Statutes that protect personal freedoms and rights apply to disputes between individual citizens.
code of ethics
A list of written statements describing ideal behavior is a model for personal conduct.
code status
Refers to how healthcare providers are required to manage care in the case of cardiac or respiratory arrest.
common law
Decisions based on prior similar cases are also known as judicial law.
confidentiality
Safeguarding a person’s health information from public disclosure is the foundation for trust.
criminal laws
Penal codes that protect all citizens from people threatening the public good are used to prosecute those committing crimes.
defamation
An act in which untrue information harms a person’s reputation is unlawful.
defendant
a person charged with violating the law.
deontology
Ethical decision-making is based on duty or moral obligations.
documentation
Record keeping.
durable power of attorney for health care
Designates a proxy for making medical decisions when the client becomes so incompetent or incapacitated that he or she cannot make decisions independently.
duty
It is an expected action based on moral or legal obligations.
ethical dilemma
The choice between two undesirable alternatives occurs when individual values and laws conflict.
ethical dilemma
The choice between two undesirable alternatives occurs when individual values and laws conflict.
ethics
Moral or philosophical principles help classify actions as either right or wrong.