CoursePoint - Chapter 7: Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice

When talking with family over dinner, the nurse shares about a client with infertility at the hospital, identifying the person by name. Which tort has the nurse committed?

Invasion of privacy

A nurse is caring for a client following endotracheal intubation. Before applying soft wrist restraints to prevent the client from pulling out the endotracheal tube, what is the most appropriate action of the nurse?

Obtain a medical order

A nurse confides in a nurse friend, "I never report minor incidents. The charge nurse always wants a variance report filled out and they take so much time." Which responses by the friend are indicated? Select all that apply.

- "Having documentation might keep you out of trouble someday." - "Reporting helps us fix problems that result in danger to clients."

Legal safeguards are in place in the nursing practice to protect the nurse from exposure to legal risks as well as to protect the client from harm. What are examples of legal safeguards for the nurse? Select all that apply.

-The nurse obtains informed consent from a client to perform a procedure. -The nurse educates the client about The Patient Care Partnership. -The nurse documents all client care in a timely manne

Which scenario is an example of certification?

A nurse who demonstrates advanced expertise in a content area of nursing through special testing

A client is in a persistent vegetative state. The client has no immediate family and is a ward of the state. Under these circumstances, who will speak on this client's behalf?

A surrogate decision maker

A client informs the nurse about leaving the health care facility because the client is not satisfied with the treatment. The nurse knows that the client's treatment is incomplete and further testing and evaluations are scheduled. Which action by the nurse would be most appropriate to prevent false imprisonment?

Ask the client to sign a release without medical approval.

An RN enters a client's room and observes the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) forcefully pushing a client down on the bed. The client starts crying and informs the UAP of the need to go to the bathroom. What action is the RN witnessing that should be immediately reported to the supervisor?

Battery

The nurse is providing care to a client who had orthopedic surgery. The nurse has medicated the client for pain. However, the client reports that the pain is unrelieved. The nurse takes no further action regarding assessment and intervention for the client's pain. The nurse does not notify the surgeon regarding the client's pain. The nurse's failure to take further action represents which element of liability in this case?

Breach of duty

Having recently completed a specialty nursing program in neonatal care, a nurse is now preparing to leave the medical unit and begin providing care in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The nurse has completed which process of credentialing?

Certification

A client states that the client's recent fall was caused by his scheduled antihypertensive medications being mistakenly administered by two different nurses, an event that is disputed by both of the nurses identified by the client. Which measure should the nurses prioritize when anticipating that legal action may follow?

Document the client's claims and the events surrounding the alleged incident.

The nurse is providing care to a client whose condition has progressively declined. The nurse assesses and makes appropriate interventions as well as notifies the health care provider. Despite the nurse's efforts, the client expires. What element of liability has the nurse demonstrated?

Duty

A nurse is being sued for malpractice in a court of law. What elements must be established to prove that malpractice or negligence has occurred? Select all that apply.

Duty Breach of duty Causation

In some cases, the act of providing nursing care in unexpected situations is covered by the Good Samaritan laws. Which nursing action would most likely be covered by these laws?

Emergency care for a choking victim in a restaurant

A nurse talks with family members about an AIDS client from the clinic where the nurse works. Which tort has the nurse committed?

Invasion of privacy

When the nurse informs a client's employer of the client's autoimmune deficiency disease, the nurse is committing the tort of:

Invasion or privacy

During the admission assessment of a client with a suspected mandibular fracture, the client discloses to the nurse that the injury results from the client's spouse hitting the client. Which action should the nurse prioritize when responding to this disclosure?

Reporting the abuse to the appropriate authorities

A nurse is preparing a presentation for a group of staff nurses about the rules affecting nursing practice and the parties involved. When describing the role of different sources for the rules, which issue would the nurse identify as being addressed specifically by state legislation? Select all that apply.

Scope of practice Educational requirements of nurses

What governing body has the authority to revoke or suspend a nurse's license?

The State Board of Nurse Examiners

A nurse and the facility have been named as defendants in a malpractice lawsuit. In addition to the nurse's attorney, whom else would be appropriate for the nurse to talk with about the case?

The agency's risk manager

A physician is called to see a client with angina. During the visit the physician advises the nurse to decrease the dosage of atenolol to 12.5 mg. However, because the physician is late for another visit, the physician requests that the nurse write down the order for the physician. What should be the appropriate nursing action in this situation?

The nurse should ask the physician to come back and write the order.

A client is unhappy with the health care provided and informs the nurse that the client is leaving the facility. The client has not been discharged by the physician. The nurse finds that the client has dressed and is ready to go. What should the nurse's action be in this situation?

The nurse should call and inform the nursing supervisor of the situation

A nurse enters the client's room and finds the client lying on the floor experiencing a seizure. After stabilizing the client, the nurse informs the physician. The physician advises the nurse to prepare an incident report. What is the purpose of an incident report?

To evaluate the quality of care provided and assess the potential risks for injury to the client

A nurse is caring for a client who has undergone coronary angioplasty. The cardiac monitor is showing abnormal electrocardiogram waves, indicating atrial fibrillation. The nurse does not recognize the importance of the sign; as a result, the client's condition deteriorates and the client has to be taken up for an emergency procedure. Which describes the nurse's legal liability?

Tort

A student nurse is assisting an older adult client to ambulate following hip replacement surgery when the client falls and reinjures the hip. Who is potentially responsible for the injury to this client?

The student nurse, the nurse instructor, and the hospital

A client being discharged from the hospital asks the nurse, "When I go visit my family out of state, should I take my living will with me, or do I need a new one for that state?" Which is the most appropriate response by the nurse?

"Take it with you. It is recognized universally in the United States."

An HIV-positive client discovers that the client's name is published in a research report on HIV care prepared by the client's nurse. The client is hurt and files a lawsuit against the nurse. Which offense has the nurse committed?

Invasion of privacy

The nurse attorney provides an educational session to the nursing staff on acts of negligence. Which responses by the staff would indicate to the attorney that the staff can accurately identify acts of negligence? Select all that apply.

-"I can be charged with negligence if I apply a heating pad to the client's skin and the client suffers a superficial or first-degree burn." -"I can be charged with negligence if I notify the health care practitioner about a change in a client's status but do not follow up or document.

While riding in the elevator, a nurse discusses the HIV-positive status of a client with other colleagues. The nurse's action reflects:

Invasion of privacy

Nurses complete incident reports as dictated by the agency protocol. What is the primary reason nurses fill out an incident report?

to improve quality of care