Law & Ethics: Ch 5 (Professional Liability and Medical Malpractice)
Interrogatory or pretrial discovery phase
A pretrial conference may be called in the ___ phase of a lawsuit
Summons
A written notification issued by the clerk of court and delivered with a copy of the complaint to the defendant in a lawsuit, directing them to respond to the charges brought in a court of law
Liable
Legally responsible or obligated. All competent adults apply both on the job and in private lives. Physicians have liability for: the practice's building and grounds, autos, employee safety
Damages
Monetary awards sought by plaintiffs in lawsuits
Punitive
Money awarded is intended to punish the defendant
Nominal
Money is awarded the plaintiff, recognizing a wrong, but the amount is nominal
Duty, Dereliction, Direct Cause, Damages
Name the four Ds of negligence
General compensatory
The defendant must pay, but the dollar value of the violation need not be proved
General compensatory
The defendant must pay, the dollar value need not be proved, but the loss must be proved
Privileged communication
Info held confidential within a protected relationship (attorney/client, doctor/patient)
Deposition
Sworn testimony given and recorded outside the courtroom during the pretrial phase of a case
Confidentiality
The act of holding info within a protected relationship
Duty of care
The legal obligation of health care workers to patients and sometimes nonpatients. Generally if actions within the scope of a health care practitioners job could cause harm to someone, that person is owed a duty of care.
Standard of care
The level of performance expected of a health care practitioner in carrying out their duties.
Misfeasance
The performance of a lawful act in an illegal or improper manner
Subpoena
a court order for an individual to appear in court is called a
Interrogatory or pretrial discovery phase
a deposition is taken in the ____ phase of a lawsuit
Trial phase
a jury is selected in the ___ phase of a lawsuit
The patient could sue the hospital
a patient falls on a hospitals slippery tile floor and injures herself. assuming that patient safety procedures were lax, what undesirable occurrence could result for the hospital
Appeals
a plea is made for the case to be reviewed by the higher court in the ___ phase of a lawsuit
Summons
a written notification to appear in court to defend against a lawsuit is called a
interrogatory
a written set of questions requiring written answers from plantiff or defendant under oath
a nurse fails to document her administration of a patient's medicine and another nurse unknowingly administers a second dose, which constitutes and injurious overdose for the patient
according to the reasonable person standard as discussed in this chapter, in which of the following situations might a person be charged with negligence
Any medical assistant
an off duty certified medical assistant helps a pregnant woman deliver in a movie theater restroom. to what standard of care would the CMA be held
The Practice's Building and Grounds Automobiles employee safety
as employers, physicians have general liability in what three areas:
Trial phase
attorneys make opening and closing statements in the ____ phase of a lawsuit
Subpoena Duces Tecum
bring certain written records to be used as evidence
general compenstatory
compensate for injuries or losses due to violation of patients rights. physical disabiity, loss of earnings, mental anguish. award specified by court. dollar value need not proved, loss must be proved
A neutral third party listens to both sides of the argument and then helps resolve the dispute.
how is mediation best defined
Duty of care
if a custodian sues an employing physician for ordering her to lift a heavy bookcase that injures her back, what is the issue of liability
Interrogatory or pretrial discovery phase
in the ___ phase of a lawsuit, subpoenas are issued
duty of care is owed to the woman and her baby
in the previous situation to whom is a duty of care owed
In the presence of other patients in a clinic waiting room, a CMA tells a patient that her pregnancy test was positive.
in which of the following situations has patient privacy been violated
special compenstatory
losses not directly caused by the wrong, ex: additional medical expenses. award specified by court, dollar value and loss must be proved
General compensatory
monetary compensation awarded to a plaintiff to compensate for injuries of losses due to violation of the plaintiff's rights
duty of care
obligation of health care professionals to patients and in some cases non patients
Common knowledge
res ipsa loquitur is the doctrine of
alternative dispute resolution
settlements outside of court with mediators
wrongful death statutes
state statutes that allow a persons beneficaries to collect for loss to the estate for future earnings when a death is judged to have been due to negligence
testimony
statements sworn to under oath by witnesses testifying in court and giving depositions
reasonable person standard
that standard of behavior that judges a persons actions in a situation according to what a reasonable person would/wouldnt do under similar circumstances
direct cause
the breach of the duty of care to the patient was a direct cause of the patient's injury
all of these
the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur might be applied in which of the following: a. A surgeon operates on a patient's foot, but it is the wrong foot b. A woman's front teeth are knocked out while she is under anesthesia for surgery on her toe c. A woman is anesthetized for a tubal ligation, but receives a hysterectomy d. All of these
nonfeasance
the failure to act when one should
duty, dereliction, direct cause, damages
the four D's: elements necessary to prove negligence
dereliction
the health care provider breached the duty of care to the patient
malfeasance
the performance of a totally wrongful and unlawful act
duty
the person charged with negligence owed a duty of care to the accuser
res ipsa loquitor
the thing speaks for itself. also known as the doctrine of common knowledge. so obviously negligent no expert witness needed
damages
there is a legally recognizable injury to the patient
consequential
to compensate for losses caused indirectly by a product defect. no limits on damages if personal injuries
punitive
to punish offender, some cases amount set by law
nominal
to recognize the rights of patient were violated, token $1
Negligence
what is the basis for most medical malpractice claims
The case can be lost by default
what is the result if you are the plaintiff or the defendant in a lawsuit and you fail to appear in court
They testify about the medical care given to the patient
what purpose do expert witnesses serve in a medical negligence lawsuit
Plaintiff
when a patient sues a physician for negligence, who has the burden of proof in court
you may be charged with contempt of court
which of the following legal actions may be taken if you are subpoenaed to appear in court as a witness or to give a deposition and you fail to appear
settlement of civil disputes between parties using neutral mediators or arbitrators without going to court.
which of the following statements best defines alternative dispute resolution
If one uses the title "nurse," one can be held to the standard of care of a nurse.
which of the following statements is true of standard of care
A person who was present during certain events, and can tell what happened
who is most likely to give factual testimony in a trial
Trial phase
witnesses are called to testify in the ____ phase of a lawsuit