Chapter 4 Medical/Legal Glossary Flashcards
Advance Directive
A DNR order; instructions written in advance of a event
Abandonment
Leaving a patient after care has been initiated and before a patient the has been transferred to equal or greater medical training
Assault
Placing a person in fear of bodily harm
Battery
Causing bodily harm to or restraining a person
Confidentiality
The obligation to not reveal information obtained about a patient except to other health care professionals involved in the patients care, or under subpoena, or in court of law, when the patient has signed a release of confidentiality.
Consent
Permission from the patient for care or other action by EMT
Crime Scene
The location where a crime has been committed or any place that evidence relating to the crime may be found
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
Ethical
Regarding a social system or social or professional expectations for applying principles of right and wrong
Expressed consent
Consent given by adults who are of legal age and mentally competent to make a rational decision in regard to their medical well-being
Good Samaritan Laws
A series of laws, varing in each state, designed to provide limited legal protection for citizens and some health care personnel when they are administering emergency care
HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law protecting the privacy of patients specific health care information and providing the patient with control over how this information is used and distributed
Implied Consent
The consent it is presumed a patient or patient’s parent or guardian would give if they could , such as for a unconscious patient or parent who could not be contacted when care is needed
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
Moral
Regarding personal standards or principles of right and wrong
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 expected of the EMT was not provided, and that harm was caused to the other patient as result
Organ Donor
A person who has completed a legal document that allows for the donation of organs and tissues in the event of death
res ipsa loquitur
A Latin term meaning “ the thing speaks for itself”
Safe Haven Law
A law that permits a person to drop off a infant or child at a police , fire, or EMS station or to deliver the infant or child to any 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 of the limits, of the EMT Job.
Slander
False or injurious information stated verbally
Standard Of Care
For a EMT providing care for a specific patient in a specific situation, the care that would be expected to be provided by a EMT with similar training while caring for a patient in a similar situation.
Tort
A civil, not criminal, offense, an action or injury caused by negligence from which a lawsuit may arise.
