Chapter 4 - Medical, Legal, and Ethical Issues Flashcards
Authority granted to a teacher or other adult by a child’s parents to make treatment decisions in their absence is called:
in loco parentis.
Mentally competent adults of legal age who accept care from an EMS crew are said to give:
expressed consent.
EMS personnel can treat unconscious patients because the law holds that rational patients would consent to treatment if they were conscious; this principle is known as:
implied consent.
Minors who are married or of a certain age and who are legally able to give consent for medical care are known as:
emancipated.
When a patient refuses care, he or she must sign a(n):
release form.
Refusal to go to a hospital may be a form of ___ , or unwillingness
to accept the idea of illness.
denial
If an EMT forces a competent patient to go to the hospital against his or her will, the EMT may be charged with:
assault.
A legal document, usually signed by the patient and his physician, stating that the patient has a terminal illness and does not wish to prolong life through resuscitative efforts is called a(n):
DNR order.
A person whom the signer of a document names to make health-care decisions in case the signer is unable to make such decisions for himself or herself is called a(n):
proxy.
Legislative measures intended to provide legal protection for citizens and some health-care personnel who administer emergency care are known as:
Good Samaritan laws.
An EMT’s obligation in certain situations to provide care to a patient is referred to as a(n):
duty to act.
If a jury finds that an EMT had a duty to a patient, that he failed to carry out that duty properly, and that his action caused harm to the patient, the EMT would be guilty of:
negligence.
Statutes that allow a person to abandon his or her parental duties and legally drop off a child to an EMS station or other public safety building are called:
safe haven laws.
A DNR order is one example of a(n):
advance directive.
The principle that information about a patient’s history, condition, or treatment must not be shared with unauthorized parties is called:
confidentiality.
If you discover that a critically injured patient is an organ donor, as an
EMT you should:
notify the staff at the hospital.
Once police have made the scene safe, the priority of the EMT at a crime scene is to:
provide patient care.
Leaving a patient after care has been initiated and before the patient has been transferred to someone with equal or greater medical training is known as:
abandonment.
The extent and limits of the job that the EMT does are refe1Ted to as:
scope of practice.
Simply stated, liability means:
legal responsibility.
In the case of a(n) __________ patient, consent to treat may be assumed.
unconscious
When dealing with children and mentally incompetent adults, the __________ and__________ have the legal authority to give consent.
parents; guardians
__________ minors are those who are married or granted legal adult status to provide consent.
Emancipated
Failure to provide the standard of care is one of three elements that must be proved in a case involving a charge of __________ against an EMT.
negligence
If all efforts fail and the patient does not accept your care or transportation, you must have the patient sign a(n) __________
refusal form
To refuse care, a patient must be __________ __________ and understand the risks of rejecting treatment.
mentally competent
A __________ __________ is an advance directive that prevents unwanted resuscitation.
DNR order
An EMT who is on an ambulance and is dispatched to a call clearly has a(n) __________ __________ __________
duty to act
In many states, an off-duty EMT has no legal obligation to provide __________
care
If the EMT is off duty and begins care, then leaves the patient before other trained personnel arrive, he may be considered to have __________ the patient.
abandoned
__________ __________ laws have been developed in most states to provide immunity to individuals trying to help others in emergencies.
Good Samaritan
The only time that confidential information about a patient may be disclosed is when the patient has signed a(n) __________ __________
written release
A(n) __________ __________ is a patient who has completed a legal document that allows for that patient’s organs and tissues to be used by others in the event of his or her death.
organ donor
Many lawsuits that allege negligence often involve claims __________ __________ during involuntary transports.
improper restraint
A(n) __________ __________ is a place where a crime has been committed or any place that evidence relating to a crime may be found.
crime scene
The term __________ __________ describes a wide range of things usually invisible to the naked eye that can be found by investigators at a crime scene.
microscopic evidence
Many localities have __________ for reporting child, elderly, or domestic abuse.
hotlines
Consent given by adults who are of legal age and mentally competent to make a rational decision in regard to their medical well-being is called __________ __________.
expressed consent
The primary __________ consideration within the EMT’s scope of practice is to make patient care and well-being a priority.
ethical
When an unconscious patient is so severely injured that his condition is life threatening, the EMT may treat the patient under the doctrine known as __________ __________.
implied consent
T/F: Within the scope of practice of an EMT, the primary ethical consideration is to make patient care and well-being a priority, even if this requires some personal
sacrifices.
True
T/F: Consent, or permission from the patient, is required for any treatment or action by the EMT.
True
T/F: An unconscious patient must regain consciousness before consent can be granted and treatment can begin.
False
T/F: Expressed consent must be obtained from patients who are physically or mentally able to give it.
True
T/F: It is not legally necessary to explain all procedures to the conscious patient.
False
T/F: Emergency care for a patient identified as an organ donor should not differ from the care provided to any other patient..
True
T/F: Children and mentally incompetent adults are legally allowed to provide consent for their treatment.
False
T/F: Patients who are mentally competent have the right to refuse medical care.
True
T/F: A release form is designed to protect health-care providers from liability arising from the patient’s informed refusal of treatment and transport.
True
T/F: If an EMT follows the appropriate steps when treating patients who refuse care, it is a guarantee that he will be free from liability.
False
T/F: An EMT may be able to “arrest” a patient who refuses care in order to provide necessary treatment.
False
T/F: In all cases of refusal, the EMT should advise the patient to feel free to call back at any time if he has a problem or wishes to be cared for or transported .
True
T/F: A DNR order is an actual legal document.
True
T/F: It is better to be criticized or sued for saving a life than for letting a patient die.
True
T/F: In most cases the oral requests of a family member are a sufficient reason to withhold care.
False
T/F: Patient refusal is a major cause of legal actions against EMS systems or EMTs.
True
T/F: Lawsuits against EMTs are actually quite common.
False
T/F: An EMT’ s duty to act continues throughout the call.
True
T/F: The duty to act is always clear in the situations that EMTs face.
False
T/F: Good Samaritan laws do not prevent someone from initiating a lawsuit, nor will they protect the rescuer from being found liable for acts of gross negligence and other violations of the law.
True
