Exam #1 Flashcards
Infusion Nursing
- nursing process relateing to technical and clinical application of fluids, electrolytes, infection control, oncology, pediatrics, pharmacology, quality assurance, tehcnology, clinical application, parenteral nutrition, transfusion therapy
evidence based practice
- evidence from research/evidence-based theories and opinion
- evidence from assessment of patient history, physical exam, availability of health care resources
- clinical expertise
- information about patient preferences and values
Iv therapy risk management
- IV therapy is a high-risk technical area
- if an act of malpractice does not do harm then legal action cannot be innitiated
- coercion of a rational adult to place an iv catheter constitutes assault and battery
- if pt refuses IV, document and call provider
- practice of using verbal orders rather than written orders potentially places nurses at high liability risks
- repeat back order, clarify dosage, check for similar sounding names
criminal law
an offense against the general public caused by the potential harmful effect to society as a whole
civil law
effect the legal rights of private persons and corportations. contract law and tort law are most appicable to nursing practice
negligence
failture to do something that a reasonable person would do
malpractice
subset of negligence, commited by a person in a professional capacity (nonadherance to the accepted standard of care)
4 components needed to prove liability for malpractice
1) it must be established that the nurse had a duty to the patient
2) a breach of standards of care or failure to carr out the duty must be proven
3) pt must suffer actual harm or injury (including emotional)
4) there must be a causal relationshio between the breech of duty and the injury suffered
breach of duty
- nurse must be aware at all time sthat failure to observe, failture to intervene, and verbal rather than written orders are potential risks
legal perils related to infusion therapy practice
1) failure to monitor and assess clinical status
2) failure to prevent infection
3) failure to use equipment properly
4) failure to protect the patient from avoidable injury
rule of personal liability
- every person is liable for his own tortous conduct (wrongdoing)
common causes for legal action in nursing
1) unprofessional practice: conduct that is a departure from or failure to conform to the minimal standards of care
2) professional malpractice: professional misconduct or unreasonable lack of skill that results in harm
ethics
- acknowledges the acceptance by a profession of the responsibilities and trust that society has conferred and recognizes the duties and obligations in that trust
infusion nursing code of ethics
- autonomy: right to self determination, independence
- beneficence: doing good for patients
- nonmaleficence: doing no harm to patients
- veracity: truthfulness
- fidelity: obligation to be faithful
- justice: obligation to be fair to all people
standards of care
- describes the results or outcomes of care and focus on the patient
- developed within organizations to measure qualiy based on expectations
- voluntary or mandated by legislation
standards of practice
- focus on the provider of care
- represent acceptable levels of practice in patient care delivery
- define nursing accountability
- provide a framework for evaluating professional competency
medication safety
- medication error is the most common type of error affecting patient safety
- preventable adverse drug events (ADEs) are associated with one of every five injuries or deaths occuring in the healthcare system
medicaiton errors
- lack of awareness: 44k-98k deaths annually
- 2.5 mil nurses and 900k physicians pracicing in 7500 hospitals across us
- complex enbvironment: making clear communication even more important; end of shift reports
- 80% of nurses calculate doses 10% of the time
- 40% of nurses make mistakes more than 30% of the time
- 42% of nursing students could not calculate IV meds and flow rate with 90% accuracy
active errors
- errors at the sharp end of healtcare; occur at the point of interaction between the person (nurse) and a larger system (medication cart)
- during the med fill
latent error
- errors at the blunt end of health care; error gives rise to the active error and is not necessarily apparent when it happens
- wrong med may become apparent hours/days later
