Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice PrepU
Which of the following is an example of certification? a) A nurse who demonstrates advanced expertise in a content area of nursing through special testing. b) A hospital that meets the standards of the Joint Commission. c) An education program that meets standards of the National League for Nursing. d) A graduate of a nursing education program who passes NCLEX-RN.
a) A nurse who demonstrates advanced expertise in a content area of nursing through special testing.
When making client rounds, the charge nurse observes which action by a staff nurse that would constitute battery? a) The staff nurse threatens to restrain the client if she did not take her medication. b) The elderly client refuses the intramuscular injection, but the staff nurse administered it. c) The nurse tells the client she cannot leave the hospital because she is seriously ill. d) While bathing a client behind pulled curtains, two nurses are discussing a different client.
b) The elderly client refuses the intramuscular injection, but the staff nurse administered it.
The health care facility is involved in litigation by four clients. When reviewing the cases, which legal case would the nurse attorney identify to best describe malpractice? a) The nurse administered the wrong medication to the client, who had one episode of vomiting 5 minutes after consuming the medication with no further adverse reactions. b) The nurse using proper mechanics assists a client to a locked bed. He slips and breaks his left femur. c) The nurse applies an ice pack to a client's lower back without an order and he feels better. d) The nurse administers amoxicillin (Amicar) to a client with known allergies to penicillin. The client has a seizure with resulting respiratory arrest.
d) The nurse administers amoxicillin (Amicar) to a client with known allergies to penicillin. The client has a seizure with resulting respiratory arrest.
While riding in the elevator, a nurse discusses the HIV-positive status of a client with other colleagues. The nurse's action reflects: a) professional negligence. b) false imprisonment. c) defamation of character. d) invasion of privacy.
d) invasion of privacy.
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? a) The nurse ensures that the client's family signs the consent form. b) The nurse informs the family about the living will. c) The nurse informs the family about advance directives. d) The nurse ensures that the client signs the consent form.
a) The nurse ensures that the client's family signs the consent form.
The nursing student talks with the student's family about an AIDS client from the clinical experience. Which tort has the student committed? a) Invasion of privacy b) Slander c) Fraud d) Assault
a) Invasion of privacy
While caring for an infant, the nurse hears another child screaming in the next room. She rushes to the other room to check on the screaming child, forgetting to put the side rails up on the infant's crib. She returns to the room to find 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? a) Assault b) Malpractice c) Defamation d) Battery
b) Malpractice
A client admitted with Hodgkin disease has a handwritten prescription for vinblastine 3.7 mg intravenously (IV) weekly. The nurse interprets the prescription as vincristine 3.7 mg and administers the wrong medication. The client becomes neurovascularly compromised and has a fatal reaction to the medication. The client's family begins a litigious suit against the facility and the nurse's license is suspended by the board of nursing. In preparation for the lawsuit, the nurse meets with the nurse attorney to review the events. Which appropriate statement, if given by the nurse, indicates he has an understanding of the lawsuit? a) "I could not read the health care provider's handwriting, so I am not at fault." b) "I checked the medication before giving it and literature states it is for Hodgkin disease." c) "I had a duty and it was my responsibility to get clarification before administering the medication, which I did not." d) "I had a duty and it was my responsibility to double check the medication, which I did, yet this still happened."
c) "I had a duty and it was my responsibility to get clarification before administering the medication, which I did not."
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 of the following statements is true regarding the Good Samaritan law? a) The Good Samaritan law is not applicable to health care workers. b) The Good Samaritan law will not protect the nurse because she did not accept compensation. c) The Good Samaritan law will provide legal immunity to the nurse. d) The Good Samaritan law will provide absolute exemption from prosecution.
c) The Good Samaritan law will provide legal immunity to the nurse.
A medical surgical client is in the radiology department. The client's cousin arrives on the medical surgical unit and asks to speak with the nurse caring for his cousin. The visitor asks the nurse to provide a brief outline of the client's illness. Which response, if given by the nurse, would demonstrate application of legal safeguard in her practice? a) "I cannot give you that information due to client confidentiality." b) "Do you have any identification proving you are related to the client?" c) "I'm busy right now, but can talk later." d) "I will call the client and ask his permission."
a) "I cannot give you that information due to client confidentiality."
A client informs the nurse that he wants to discontinue his treatment and go home. Later, the nurse finds the client dressed to leave. Which action should the nurse take in this situation? a) Let the client go after signing a document stating he is going against medical advice. b) Call the physician and get his discharge paper signed. c) Warn the client that he may not be able to access health care again. d) Restrain the client until his medical treatment is over.
a) Let the client go after signing a document stating he is going against medical advice.
A nurse who comments to her coworkers at lunch that her client with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) has been sexually active in the community may be guilty of what tort? a) Slander b) Fraud c) Libel d) Assault
a) 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? a) Slander b) Malpractice c) Libel d) Negligence
a) Slander
A registered nurse has had her license suspended after being convicted of being impaired at work. What governing body has the authority to revoke or suspend a nurse's license? a) The State Board of Nurse Examiners b) The employing health care institution c) The National League for Nursing d) The Supreme Court
a) The State Board of Nurse Examiners
During the admission assessment of a female client age 40 years with a suspected mandibular fracture, the client discloses to the nurse that her injury came as a result of her husband hitting her. Which action should the nurse prioritize when responding to this disclosure? a) Performing an assessment to confirm the client's statement b) Reporting the abuse to the appropriate authorities c) Informing the client of her right to keep this information private d) Ensuring the client's statement is confirmed by another nurse
b) Reporting the abuse to the appropriate authorities
Injuries related to lifting or transferring patients occur in the health care setting and may be considered a work-related injury. Which law was intended to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses? a) Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 b) The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 c) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 d) The Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986
b) The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
The nursing student is taking an examination on Nursing Ethics and Law. Which choice selected by the student would indicate to the nursing faculty that the student has a good understanding of negligence? a) The nurses assesses for collateral circulation (Allen's test) before preforming an arterial blood gas (ABG). b) The nurse assesses distal pulses on a client three hours after a femoral arteriography. c) The nurse advises a visitor to avoid bringing fresh fruit to a client with neutropenia. d) The nurse auscultates breath sounds every 8 hours on a client receiving enteral feedings.
b) The nurse assesses distal pulses on a client three hours after a femoral arteriography.
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. a) The nurse claims management is responsible for inadequate staffing leading to negligence. b) The nurse obtains informed consent from a client to perform a procedure. c) The physician is responsible for administration of a wrongly prescribed medication. d) The nurse documents all client care in a timely manner. e) The nurse educates the client about The Patient Care Partnership. f) The nurse executes physician orders without questioning them.
b) The nurse obtains informed consent from a client to perform a procedure. d) The nurse documents all client care in a timely manner. e) The nurse educates the client about The Patient Care Partnership.
The nurse educator provides an educational session to the nursing staff on protection of a client's privacy. Which circumstances, identified by the staff, would indicate to the educator that the teaching was effective? Select all that apply. a) During a bed bath, the nurse exposed the client's upper torso while washing the client's face. b) The nurse removed the client from the emergency department waiting room into a private area to collect assessment data. c) The nurse questioned the client about her social life even though it did not affect care planning. d) Because the facility is a teaching facility, the nurse allowed the nursing student to take the client's picture for his care plan. e) With the client's permission, the nurse explained the client's diagnosis to the client's spouse.
b) The nurse removed the client from the emergency department waiting room into a private area to collect assessment data. e) With the client's permission, the nurse explained the client's diagnosis to the client's spouse.
A client is unhappy with the health care provided to him. He approaches the nurse and informs her that he 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 would the nurse's action be in this situation? a) The nurse should let the client go because she cannot do anything. b) The nurse should call the nursing supervisor and inform her about the situation. c) The nurse should get the client restrained and call the physician. d) The nurse should warn the client that he cannot come to the hospital again.
b) The nurse should call the nursing supervisor and inform her about the situation.
