Ch.6/7

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

Which statement made by the nurse providing care to a group of clients indicates that the nurse requires further education regarding negligence?

"I don't need to assess distal pulses on a client after a femoral arteriography."

Which statements made by a nurse would indicate to a nurse manager that the nurse requires further training? Select all that apply.

"If I make a mistake, I will not tell anyone." "I will have the supervisor fill out the incident report when I make an error."

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."

A nurse has been named in a malpractice lawsuit. Prior to taking the nurse's deposition, the attorney explains that the case will be governed by common law. Which question by the nurse is indicated?

"Will this case be precedent setting?"

The nurse attempts to notify a health care provider about a client's elevated temperature but does not get a response. Which statement, if documented by the nurse, would indicate that the nurse is following proper protocol for nursing documentation?

1300: Client temperature elevated. Telephoned health care provider's service 3 times without a response. Tepid sponge bath given and nursing supervisor notified.

While teaching about advance care planning, which fact is important for the nurse to share with a client who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness?

A durable power of attorney for health care appoints an agent the person trusts to make decisions.

The client being admitted to the oncology unit conveys wishes regarding resuscitation in the event of cardiopulmonary arrest. The nurse advises the client that it would be in the client's best interest to obtain which document?

A living will

Which nursing student would most likely be held liable for negligence?

A nursing student administers medication to a resident while working as an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) at a local nursing home.

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

Which process evaluates and recognizes educational programs as having met certain standards?

Accreditation

During a nursing shift, which events warrant completion of an incident report? Select all that apply.

An intravenous antibiotic was administered 2 hours late because the IV site infiltrated. A visitor slipped and fell in the hallway, but was not injured. A client falls while being transferred from the bed to the chair.

Which action constitutes battery?

An older adult client refuses an intramuscular injection, but the nurse administers it.

An RN is working on a medical-surgical unit with a licensed practical/vocational nurse (LPN/LVN). Which action by the RN is considered negligent if injury results from this action?

Asking the LPN/LVN to teach a new diabetic client how to administer insulin

While walking down the hall, a nurse manager overhears a staff member telling a client, "If you don't stay in this chair and stop wandering, I'm going to tie you to it." The nurse manager pulls the staff member aside and discusses what was said. The nurse manager intervenes because the staff member's statement is which type of tort?

Assault

A client admitted to a mental health unit has exhibited physical behaviors that put the client and others at risk. The nurse applies four-point restraints on the client without obtaining a physician's order or the client's consent. The nurse is at risk of being accused of which action?

Battery

A nurse working in a coronary care unit resuscitates a client who had expressed wishes not to be resuscitated. Which tort has the nurse committed?

Battery

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

A nurse fails to communicate a change in the client's condition to the physician. Which element related to proving malpractice has been met?

Breach of duty

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

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 recognizes that liability requires specific elements that must be established to prove that malpractice or negligence has occurred. Identify the specific elements. Select all that apply.

Causation Damages Duty 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 nurse assesses a client with psychotic symptoms and determines that the client needs vest restraints. However, the client asks the nurse not to put on vest restraints. What would be the best nursing action?

Contact the physician and obtain necessary orders.

A nurse is named as a defendant in a malpractice lawsuit. Which action would be recommended for this nurse?

Do not volunteer any information on the witness stand.

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

Which elements are necessary to prove malpractice? Select all that apply.

Duty Breach of duty Causation Damages

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

A registered nurse who has an associate degree would like to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing. The nurse works full time and has several family obligations and would like to find a program that fits into that lifestyle. What is the nurse's priority question about an educational program?

Is the program accredited?

A nurse is called to a deposition for a malpractice charge that has resulted in the death of a client. As the chart is reviewed, the prosecuting attorney questions the nurse about several defaming comments written in the medical record about the client. What charges can be filed against the nurse due to these comments?

Libel

A nurse suspects that a client is a prostitute. The nurse documents this suspicion in the medical record and includes it in report to the oncoming shift. The nurse also mentions the suspicion to the nurse's sister saying, "I had a client named Susan in room 126 today who I think is a prostitute." Which violations has this nurse committed? Select all that apply.

Libel HIPAA Slander

A nurse, while off-duty, tells the physiotherapist that a client who was admitted to the nursing unit contracted AIDS due to exposure to sex workers at the age of 18. The client discovers that the nurse has revealed the information to the physiotherapist. With what legal action could the nurse be charged?

Slander

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

Nurse practice acts are examples of which type of laws?

Statutory laws

A nurse is reviewing the nurse practice act of the state in which the nurse is licensed. The nurse understands that this act was derived from which source of law?

Statutory pg.121

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

The State Board of Nurse Examiners

Which scenario is an example of certification?

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

While caring for an infant, the nurse hears another child screaming in the next room and rushes there, forgetting to put the side rails up on the infant's crib. The nuse returns to the room to find that the infant has fallen out of the crib and sustained a head injury. Based on the nurse's action, which tort is the nurse liable for?

Malpractice

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.

Which is an example of an unintentional tort?

A nurse gives the client a medication, and the client has an adverse reaction to it.

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

A nursing student administers an overdose of a narcotic to a client and the client arrests. When discussing the incident with nursing faculty, which statements made by the student indicate the need for further teaching? Select all that apply.

"I am glad I am a student because nursing faculty will be blamed, not me." "I cannot be held liable because this is only my second time at this facility."

A nurse witnesses a traffic accident and dresses the open wounds sustained by a child. Later, in the hospital, the child develops complications from an infection in the wound. The family holds the nurse responsible for the complications and attempts to file a lawsuit. Which statement is true regarding how the Good Samaritan law applies to this case?

The Good Samaritan law will provide legal immunity to the nurse.

Which are areas of potential liability for the nurse? Select all that apply.

The nurse fails to document refusal by the client to ambulate following surgery. The nurse documents that the client's blood pressure has increased from 118/72 to 188/98 mm Hg and decides to retake the blood pressure in an hour.

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.

Action has been taken against a nurse's license based on a claim that the nurse acted outside of nursing's scope of practice. The nurse's attorney determines that the nurse needs more education about the purpose of the board of nursing when the nurse makes which statement?

"The rules made by the board of nursing don't reflect my practice."

During the orientation to the hospital, the staff development educator discusses unit and institutional-based policies. What is the source of the practice rules that result in unit and institutional-based policies?

Health care institution

A client has been in the emergency department for 3 hours for treatment of a migraine headache. Care has been delayed due to a multicasualty car accident. The client gets up to go to the bathroom unattended, faints, and suffers a subdural hematoma. The family threatens to sue for malpractice. Which element of malpractice will be the most difficult for the attorney to prove?

Causation pg.128

A nurse working on a busy medical-surigcal unit does not take the vital signs of client who is preparing for discharge but instead documents the same vital signs obtained for this client earlier in the morning. For which tort would the nurse be potentially liable?

Fraud

A nurse is providing care to two clients who are sharing the same room. The nurse is preparing to give one of the clients a complete bed bath. Which action by the nurse would suggest liability related to invasion of the client's privacy?

Keeping the curtain between the two clients in the room open

A client has a prescription for amoxicillin 500 mg P.O. every 8 hours. The nurse administers the medication via the intravenous route. Based on the nurse's action, the client develops complications and has an increased length of stay. The client files a lawsuit against the facility and the nurse. Which legal action has the nurse's attorney identified that meets the criteria for the client's lawsuit?

Malpractice

Which statement about laws governing the distribution of controlled substances is true?

Nurses are responsible for adhering to specific documentation about controlled substances.

Which situation is an example of battery that the nurse may witness while performing duties at the health care facility?

Performing a surgical procedure without getting consent

While at a coworker's house, a nurse discusses with the coworker a client whom the nurse suspects of physically abusing the client's child. The next day, the client is moved to another nursing unit after a surgical procedure and comes under the care of the coworker, who is also a nurse. The coworker confronts the client about the alleged physical abuse. The client is shocked and angered by the accusation and denies it categorically. What would be the charge if the client were to file a suit?

The first nurse could be charged with slander.

A client is being prepared for an elective surgical procedure and the consent form has not been signed. Who should the nurse have obtain consent for the procedure?

The health care provider performing the surgical procedure

Which best exemplifies malpractice?

The nurse administers amoxicillin to a client with known allergies to penicillin. The client has a seizure with resulting respiratory arrest.

A client is brought to the emergency department in an unconscious state with a head injury. The client requires surgery to remove a blood clot. What would be the appropriate nursing intervention in keeping with the policy of informed consent prior to a surgical procedure?

The nurse ensures that the client's family signs the consent form.

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 manner.

Which situation violates an element of informed consent?

The nurse says, "You have to sign this before we can do the surgery."

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

Professional regulations and laws that govern nursing practice are in place for which reason?

To protect the safety of the public

A client newly diagnosed with congestive heart failure has a prescription for digoxin. The nurse counts the heart rate before administration of the medication and obtains a heart rate of 51 beats per minute. Which action by the nurse demonstrates adherence to the standards of nursing care?

The nurse withholds the medication and notifies the health care practitioner.

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 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

Nurses are occasionally asked to witness a testator's (person who makes the will) signing of a will. Which guideline is true regarding a nurse's role in witnessing a testator's signature?

Witnesses to a signature do not need to read the will.

A legal document that states a client's health-related wishes — such as a preference for pain management if the client becomes terminally ill — and also allows the client's adult child to direct the client's care, is:

an advance directive.

A client with end-stage renal disease decides against further treatment and requests a "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) order. The DNR status is part of the change-of-shift report. The client stops breathing and a nurse begins cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The family is upset and makes a complaint to the charge nurse. The charge nurse appropriately identifies that nurse has committed:

battery.

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.

A nurse is overheard in the hospital cafeteria making false, derogatory comments about a client. The nurse is guilty of:

slander.

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