Medical, Legal, and Ethical Issues (chapter 4) Flashcards
Who should be placed in the Recovery Position ?
and what does this do
unconscious patients who have not suffered trauma should be placed in the recovery position
- helps keep the airway open
- Allows secretions to drain from the mouth
The Standard of Care
the manner in which you must act or behave
- You must treat the patient to the best of your ability
- You must provide care that a reasonable, prudent person with similar training would provide under the similar circumstances
The Standard of Care relies on:
your department and what equipment is accessible or funded
4 types of Consent for Treatment
- expressed consent
- informed consent
- implied consent
- Consent for Minors (less than 18 y/o)
Expressed consent
the patient lets you know, verbally or non verbally that he or she is willing to accept treatment
Informed Consent
The patient understands who you are, what you want to do, and what has happened and allows you to treat them
Implied Consent
The law assumes that if in the right state of mind these people would consent to emergency care and therefore allows you to treat these people
Consent for Minors (less than 18 y/o)
emergency treatment must wait until a patient or legal guardian consent to the treatment. They cannot refuse treatment because, under MGL, minors are not capable of speaking for themselves
MA Comfort Care/DNR (Do not RESUSCITATE)
you need to stop performing medical care once presented this form
MOLST (Medical Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment)
certain restrictions on types of treatment or what they prefer
Abandonment
occurs when a trained person begins emergency care and then leaves the patient before another trained person takes over
Dead On Scene
After 20-25 minutes of working on the patient, EMTs can leave the patient dead at the scene.
Next steps are contacting:
- Chief
- CPAC
- And Medical Examiner
*Officer has to stay until the body is removed*
CPAC and ME’s may refuse, the funeral home would be the next point of contact
Negligence
occurs when a patient sustains further injury or harm because the care administered did not meet the standard of care
These conditions must be met:
- Duty to Act
- Breach of Duty
(1) Providing improper/insufficient care
(2) Providing care that you are not trained/authorized to provide.
- Resulting Injuries
- Proximate Cause
Confidentiality
- Most patient information is confidential, such as:
- Patient circumstances
- Patient history
- Assessment findings
- Patient care given
Type of PHI (protected health information) that can be given to other departments:
- Name and address
- Date and place of birth
- SSN
- Blood type
- Type of injury
- Date and time of treatment
- Date and time of death
- A description of distinguishing physical characteristics
