Chapter 4 Flashcards
Abandonment
Leaving a patient after care has been initiated and before the patient has been transferred to someone with equal or greater medical training.
Advance Directive
A DNR order; instructions written in advance of the event.
Assault
Placing a person in fear of bodily harm.
Battery
Causing bodily harm to or restraining a person.
Confidentiality
The obligation not to reveal information obtained about a patient except to other health care professionals involved in the patient’s care, or under subpoena, or in a court of law, or when the patient has signed a release of confidentiality.
Consent
Permission from the patient for care or other action by the EMT
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order
A legal document usually signed by the patient and his physician, which states that the patient has a terminal illness and does not wish to prolong life through resuscitative efforts.
Duty To Act
An obligation to provide care to a patient.
Good Samaritan Laws
A series of laws, varying in each state, designed to provide limited legal protection for citizens and some health care personnel when they are administering emergency care.
HIPPA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law protecting the privacy of patient-specific health care information and providing the patient with control over how this information is used and distributed.
in loco parentis
In place of the parents, indicating a person who may give consent for care of a child when the parents are not present or able to give consent.
Liability
Being held legally responsible.
Libel
False or injurious information in written form.
Negligence
A finding of failure to act properly in a situation in which there was a duty to act, that needed care as would reasonably be expected of the EMT was not provided, and that harm was caused to the patient as a result.
Organ Donor
A person who has completed a legal document that allows for donation of organs and tissues in the event of death.
res ipsa loquitur
A Latin term meaning “the thing speaks for itself”
Safe Haven Laws
A law that permits a person to drop off an infant or child at a police, fire, or EMS station or to deliver the infant or child to any available public safety personnel. The intent of the law is to protect children who may otherwise be abandoned or harmed.
Scope of Practice
A set of regulations and ethical considerations that define the scope or extent and limits, of the EMT’s job
Slander
False or injurious information stated verbally
Standard of Care
For an EMT providing care for a specific patient in a specific situation, the care that would be expected to be provided by an EMT with similar training when caring for a patient in a similar situation.
Tort
A civil, not a criminal, offense: an action or injury caused by negligence from which a lawsuit may arise.
