Legal and Ethical Unit
What is a durable power of attorney for health care?
a document that allows a person, a principle, to give another person an agent, the right to make decisions regarding the principles health care
What does HIPAA stand for?
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
What are laws and what do they do?
Laws are rules of conduct enacted and enforced by governments. Laws help protect people.
What is libel?
a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation.
What is malpractice?
a worker unintentionally harms a patient
What are advanced directives?
legal documents to make medical decisions for patients when they are unable
what type of information does a medical record contain
medical history, description of symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, prescriptions and refills, name of legal guardian, name of power of attorney, address, name and date of birth
Ethics
moral rights and wrongs
informed consent
patient receives an explanation of what's going to happen
what are the six patient rights under the privacy rule
protected health information, and request confidential communication
What does criminal law do?
protects all citizens from people who pose a threat to society
What is slander?
spoken defamation
What are civil rights?
the privileges and protections given to all U.S. citizens by Constitutional, federal, state, and local law
what are two types of civil laws
torts and contracts
What is negligence?
unintentionally harming a person by acting in an improper way
What is scope of practice?
what healthcare workers should and should not do according to their profession
How long are medical records kept?
2-7 years
what is sexual harassment
A form of sex discrimination (unwelcome sexual advances)
what is the difference between assault and battery
Assault is threatening or attempting to harm a person, battery is intentionally toughing another person without their permission
Implied consent
Does not have to be in writing
What is a tort?
a case in which a person is harmed because of another persons actions or failure to act
What are human rights?
The basic, fundamental rights that belong to all people
How is invasion of privacy defined?
intentionally interfering with a person's right to be left alone
What is false imprisonment?
intentionally violating a person's freedom
With whom can the patient's information be shared with?
between health care providers and patients
What does civil law focus on
disputes between people
What is a living will?
documents that allow individuals to state what measures should or should not be taken to prolong life when their conditions are terminal
How can a health worker commit a criminal offense
falsifying medical records, insurance fraud, misuse of drugs, stealing drugs, abuse. and murder
According to the Patient's Bill of Rights, what do patients have a right to do
health decisions, respectful treatment, and privacy
what situations allow for disclosure without authorization
if a person has threatened to harm themselves and or someone else
in what event are health care workers able to restrain patients
if the patient is threatening their own safety or the safety of others (doctor's order)
What is privileged communication?
information that is shared within a protected relationship (patient and therapist)
What is defamation of character?
intentionally damaging a person's reputation by making false statements about the person
