Chapter 7 vocabulary

Question 1

accountability

Answer 1

being required to answer for one’s actions

Question 2

administrative law

Answer 2

form of law made by administrative agencies appointed by the president or govenor

Question 3

assault

Answer 3

threat to inflict physical injury on another person through force or violence. Included in the touching of another person without that person’s consent, with intent to harm

Question 4

autonomy

Answer 4

the right to make our own decisions; to be independent and self-governing

Question 5

battery

Answer 5

an assault in which any force, however slight, is applied to another (the assailant makes physical contact)

Question 6

breach

Answer 6

the breaking of a promise or a pledge to perform an obligation under a precedent, either by commission or ommission

Question 7

causation

Answer 7

requires that the defendant’s failure to meet the standard of care was the actual cause of the plantiff’s injury

Question 8

civil law

Answer 8

all laws that affect the individual rather than the whole of society

Question 9

common law

Answer 9

laws based on custom, usage, and the decisions of the court

Question 10

confidentiality

Answer 10

refers to the patient’s personal info and diagnostic info staying confidential

Question 11

deontology

Answer 11

study of duty, moral obligation, and right action

Question 12

documentation

Answer 12

written/electronic report of the session

Question 13

duty

Answer 13

refers to the standard of care that the medical professional is required to follow

Question 14

ethical decision making

Answer 14

requires dealing with concrete judgments in situations in which action must be taken, despite uncertainty

Question 15

ethics

Answer 15

systems of valued behaviors and beliefs that govern proper conduct to ensure protection of an individual’s rights

Question 16

harm

Answer 16

refers to the injury suffered by the plantiff

Question 17

incident report

Answer 17

a form used in hospitals to document the possible injury of a patient or an employee or a visitor

Question 18

informed consent

Answer 18

permission obtained from a patient to have a test or procedure performed after the patient has been fully informed about thetest or procedure

The consent may or may not be in writing, but a written consent provides better legal protection for the health care professional

Question 19

invasion of privacy

Answer 19

wrongful intrusion into a person’s private life, including publication of private facts

Question 20

laws

Answer 20

the rules of conduct enforced by a controlling authority

Question 21

liability

Answer 21

is defined as a legal responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions

Question 22

medical malpractice

Answer 22

occurs when a negligent act or omission by a medical professional results in harm to the patient

Question 23

negligence

Answer 23

the omission or commission of an act or action that a reasonably prudent sonographer would not have omitted or committed

Question 24

policy and procedure manual

Answer 24

provides specific guidelines about what can be revealed without violating confidentiality

Question 25

rights

Answer 25

entitlements that one deserves according to just claims, legal guarantees, or moral principles

The categories of rights are: freedom of choice, legal rights, and moral rights

Question 26

statutory law

Answer 26

laws enacted and enforced by federal or state legislators to help maintain the governmental right to uphold social order and to protect the rights of individuals

Question 27

subpoena

Answer 27

court document that requires a witness to appear and testify or to produce documents or papers pertinent to a pending controversy

Question 28

teleology

Answer 28

the use of ultimate purpose or design as a means of explaining phenomena

Teleologists believe that an act is right if it results in a good outcome

Question 29

tort

Answer 29

a wrongful act, other than a breach of contract, for which the law provides a remedy

Question 30

values

Answer 30

concepts, goals, and ideals that provide a framework for one’s decisions and actions and give meaning to one’s life