Legal and Ethical Issues Flashcards
civil rights of patients
right to receive care
right to vote
due process of law
specific rights of patients
informed consent
right to refuse treatment
right to least restrictive environment
participation in care plan
confidentiality
release upon completement of treatment plan
beneficence
act of doing good
ex: providing emotional support to patient
nonmaleficence
obligation to not inflict harm
ex: hold medication and contact doctor if patient reports allergy
autonomy
patient’s right to make own decisions
ex: patient right to refuse medication (unless court ordered otherwise)
justice
fair and equal treatment
fidelity
loyalty to patients and duties
ex: follow through on what you tell patient
veracity
honesty when dealing with client
ex: medication education and explaining interventions
what is an ethical dilema?
decision between two unfavorable alternatives
When can we overrule confidentiality?
5 Cs
Consent of patient
Court order - judge signs that records need to be released for court case
Continued treatment - handoff from one clinic to another
Comply with law
Communicate a threat - patient threatens self or others. tell physician and police
what is competency?
legal term for ability to process information at a specific time
what is capacity?
patient’s understanding of medical procedures and potential outcomes
determined by providers
required for informed consent
deescalation approaches
verbal
diversion or redirection
calm environment
PRN medications
patient requests timeout
restraints as last resort
who is qualified to place restraints?
RN, LNA, EMT, security officers
assessment of a restrained patient
requires 1:1
document circulation and airway
provider must be immediately notified and assess patient for 1 hour after placement of restraints
undress patient
what is seclusion?
involuntary confinement of a patient in are that they can’t physically leave
last resort for harming self or others
should be therapeutic to prevent harm, not a punishment
strict time limits
what is a tort?
civil wrongdoing that violates patient’s rights
false imprisonment tort
confine someone without consent
example would be secluding someone without reason, or withholding discharge papers if they are allowed to leave
assault tort
civil not criminal sense
cause someone to reasonable fear imminent harm - threatening someone
battery tort
physical contact with patient in harmful way or without consent or reason
if violent patient behavior warrants physical intervention it’s not battery
if physical with patient for no reason it’s battery
cultural competence vs humility
cultural competence is having knowledge of cultures
cultural humility is dynamic process of learning and recognizing biases
