chapter 4: medical and legal issues

Question 1

laws

Answer 1

define our obligations and protect our rights and the rights of others, laws also have sanctions for violations that are enforceable

Question 2

ethics

Answer 2

the philosophy of right and wrong

Question 3

failing to perform your job within the law can result in

Answer 3

civil liability or even criminal liability

Question 4

2 kinds of laws that govern paramedics in court

Answer 4

civil law and criminal law

Question 5

assault

Answer 5

when a person instills the fear of immediate bodily harm or breach of bodily security to another

Question 6

battery

Answer 6

when the defendant touches another person in a harmful or offensive way without his or her consent

Question 7

defamation

Answer 7

intentionally making a false statement through written or verbal communication that injures a persons good name or reputation

Question 8

libel

Answer 8

making a false statement in the written form that injures a persons good name

Question 9

slander

Answer 9

verbally making a false statement that injures a persons good name

Question 10

3 lines of authority to answer to

Answer 10

• your medical director
• your licensing agency
• your employer

Question 11

scope of practice

Answer 11

emergency medical care that a paramedic is permitted to perform according to the province under its licence or certification

Question 12

vicarious liability

Answer 12

employers are held liable to compensate people for the harm caused by their employees in the course of their employment

Question 13

elements of negligence

Answer 13

• duty
• breach of duty
• proximate cause
• harm

Question 14

abandonment

Answer 14

the termination of medical care without the patients consent

Question 15

advance directives

Answer 15

usually a written document that expresses the wants needs, and desires of a patient in reference to his or her future medical care

Question 16

certification

Answer 16

generally refers to a certain level of credentials based on hours of training and assessment examinations, and addresses criteria met for minimum competency

Question 17

licensure

Answer 17

the privilege to practice at a carefully defined level. usually granted by a provincial government agency or self governing professional authority such as the College of Paramedics

Question 18

due process

Answer 18

a right to a fair procedure or the action the agency proposes to take

Question 19

2 components of due process

Answer 19

notice and the right to be heard

Question 20

4 prerequisites to valid consent

Answer 20

1. must be voluntary
2. the patient must have legal and mental capacity
3. it must be specific to both treatment and the person administering it
4. it must be informed

Question 21

2 types of consent that the paramedic must be familiar with

Answer 21

informed consent and implied consent

Question 22

informed consent

Answer 22

routinely obtained verbally, but can be communicated through patient conduct

Question 23

implied consent

Answer 23

a form of consent assumed to be given by unconscious adults or by adults who are too ill or injured to consent verbally to emergency life saving treatment

Question 24

decision making capacity

Answer 24

the ability of patients to understand the information that you are providing to them; coupled with the ability to process that information and make a choice regarding medical care that is appropriate for them

Question 25

what is a paramedics best protection in court?

Answer 25

thorough and accurate medical record

Question 26

characteristics of an effective PCR

Answer 26

• date and times
• history
• observations
• physical examination
• treatment
• changes