legal implications in nursing practice Flashcards
A newly hired experienced nurse is preparing to change a patient’s abdominal dressing and
hasn’t done it before at this hospital. Which action by the nurse is best?
a. Have another nurse do it so the correct method can be viewed.
b. Change the dressing using the method taught in nursing school.
c. Ask the patient how the dressing change has been recently done.
d. Check the policy and procedure manual for the facility’s method.
check the policy and procedure manual for the facility method
A new nurse notes that the health care unit keeps a listing of patient names in a closed book
behind the front desk of the nursing station so patients can be located easily. Which action is
most appropriate for the nurse to take?
a. Talk with the nurse manager about the listing being a violation of the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
b. Use the book as needed while keeping it away from individuals not involved in
patient care.
c. Move the book to the upper ledge of the nursing station for easier access.
d. Ask the nurse manager to move the book to a more secluded area.
B
A 17-year-old patient, dying of heart failure, wants to have organs removed for transplantation
after death. Which action by the nurse is correct?
a. Instruct the patient to talk with parents about the desire to donate organs.
b. Notify the health care provider about the patient’s desire to donate organs.
c. Prepare the organ donation form for the patient to sign while still oriented.
d. Contact the United Network for Organ Sharing after talking with the patient.
A
An obstetric nurse comes across an automobile accident. The driver seems to have a crushed
upper airway, and while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive, the nurse makes a
cut in the trachea and inserts a straw from a purse to provide an airway. The patient survives
and has a permanent problem with vocal cords, making it difficult to talk. Which statement is
true regarding the nurse’s performance?
a. The nurse acted appropriately and saved the patient’s life.
b. The nurse stayed within the guidelines of the Good Samaritan Law.
c. The nurse took actions beyond those that are standard and appropriate.
d. The nurse should have just stayed with the patient and waited for help.
C
A nurse performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a 92-year-old with brittle bones
and breaks a rib during the procedure, which then punctures a lung. The patient recovers
completely without any residual problems and sues the nurse for pain and suffering and for
malpractice. Which key point will the prosecution attempt to prove against the nurse?
a. The CPR procedure was done incorrectly.
b. The patient would have died if nothing was done.
c. The patient was resuscitated according to the policy.
d. The older patient with brittle bones might sustain fractures when chest
compressions are done.
A
A recent immigrant who does not speak English is alert but requires hospitalization. What is
the initial action that the nurse must take to enable informed consent to be obtained?
a. Ask a family member to translate what the nurse is saying.
b. Request an official interpreter to explain the terms of consent.
c. Notify the nursing manager that the patient doesn’t speak English.
d. Use hand gestures and medical equipment while explaining in English.
B
. A pediatric oncology nurse floats to an orthopedic trauma unit. Which action should the nurse
manager of the orthopedic unit take to enable safe care to be given by this nurse?
a. Provide a complete orientation to the functioning of the entire unit.
b. Determine patient acuity and care the nurse can safely provide.
c. Allow the nurse to choose which mealtime works best.
d. Assign nursing assistive personnel to assist with care.
B
While recovering from a severe illness, a hospitalized patient wants to change a living will,
which was signed 9 months ago. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. ―Check with your admitting health care provider whether a copy is on your chart.‖
b. ―Let me check with someone here in the hospital who can assist you.‖
c. ―You are not allowed to ever change a living will after signing it.‖
d. ―Your living will can be changed only once each calendar year.‖
B
A home health nurse notices that a patient’s preschool children are often playing on the
sidewalk and in the street unsupervised and repeatedly takes them back to the home and talks
with the patient, but the situation continues. Which immediate action by the nurse is mandated
by law?
a. Contact the appropriate community child protection facility.
b. Tell the parents that the authorities will be contacted shortly.
c. Take pictures of the children to support the overt child abuse.
d. Discuss with both parents about the safety needs of their children.
A
A confused patient with a urinary catheter, nasogastric tube, and intravenous line keeps
touching these needed items for care. The nurse has tried to explain to the patient that these
lines should not be touched, but the patient continues. Which is the best action by the nurse at
this time?
a. Apply restraints loosely on the patient’s dominant wrist.
b. Notify the health care provider that restraints are needed immediately.
c. Try other approaches to prevent the patient from touching these care items.
d. Allow the patient to pull out lines to prove that the patient needs to be restrained.
C
A patient has sued a post-surgical unit nurse who provided care after abdominal surgery with
nursing malpractice. Which resource would be used to determine whether the nurse has acted
in a prudent manner?
a. Scope and Standards of Nursing Care
b. The typical level of care provided by other unit nurses
c. The testimony of the patient’s primary health care provider
d. Comparison of documentation of the care provided by the nurse to similar patients
A
. How can a nurse assigned to a medical unit at a local hospital best address issues related to the
delivery of quality nursing care?
a. Serve as a volunteer patient advocate at the local free health clinic.
b. Become active in professional nursing organizations at the state level.
c. Ask to be a member of the hospital’s policy and procedure committee.
d. Agree to act as a preceptor for nursing students during their clinical experience.
B
A nursing student has been written up several times for being late with providing patient care
and for omitting aspects of patient care and not knowing basic procedures that were taught in
the skills course one term earlier. The nursing student says, ―I don’t understand what the big
deal is. As my instructor, you are there to protect me and make sure I don’t make mistakes.‖
What is the best response from the nursing instructor?
a. ―You are practicing under the license of the hospital’s insurance.‖
b. ―You are expected to perform at the level of a professional nurse.‖
c. ―You are expected to perform at the level of a prudent nursing student.‖
d. ―You are practicing under the license of the nurse assigned to the patient.‖
B
. A nurse works full time on the oncology unit at the hospital and works part time on weekends
giving immunizations at the local chain pharmacy. While giving an injection on a weekend,
the nurse caused injury to the patient’s arm and is now being sued. What initial action should
the nurse take to initiate an effective legal defense?
a. Notify the hospital of the situation to secure legal counsel by the hospital’s private
attorney.
b. Notify the manager of the pharmacy so that the corporation can provide legal
counsel.
c. Inform the insurance company that is providing one’s professional licensure
defense insurance.
d. Immediately contact the State Board of Nursing to assure protecting the validity of
the nursing license.
C
A female nursing student in the final term of nursing school is overheard by a nursing faculty
member telling another student that she got to insert a nasogastric tube in the emergency
department while working as a nursing assistant. Which advice is best for the nursing faculty
member to give to the nursing student?
a. ―Just be careful when you are doing new procedures and make sure you are
following directions by the nurse.‖
b. ―Review your procedures before you go to work, so you will be prepared to do
them if you have a chance.‖
c. ―The nurse should not have allowed you to insert the nasogastric tube because
something bad could have happened.‖
d. ―You are not allowed to perform any procedures other than those in your job
description even with the nurse’s permission.‖
D
