310: ch. 7 legal Prep U
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
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
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 is an example(s) of legal safeguards for the nurse? Select all that apply.
- The nurse confirms informed consent was give by the client to perform a procedure. - The nurse educates the client about what to expect during the hospital stay. - The nurse documents all client care in a timely manner.
Which is an example of an unintentional tort?
A nurse gives the client a medication, and the client has an adverse reaction to it.
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."
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.
Which process evaluates and recognizes educational programs as having met certain standards?
Accreditation
Which action constitutes battery?
An older adult client refuses an intramuscular injection, but the nurse administers it.
A client informs the nurse that the client wants to discontinue treatment and go home. Later, the nurse finds the client dressed to leave. Which action should the nurse take in this situation?
Let the client go after signing a document stating that the client is going against medical advice.
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 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
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 nurse threatens to restrain a verbally abusive client if the abuse continues. Which legal tort has the nurse committed?
assualt
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
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
A nurse has been asked to serve as an expert witness in a malpractice case in which an infant died in the newborn nursery. Which questions should the nurse consider prior to accepting this job? Select all that apply.
- "How much clinical experience do I have in the newborn nursery?" - "How much education do I have about caring for newborns?"
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 new graduate wants to be knowledgeable about state-mandated rules to better practice within the scope of nursing. What are the best resources for this nurse to research? Select all that apply.
- Nurse practice acts - Nursing educational requirements - Composition and disciplinary authority of board of nursing
Nurses practicing in a critical care unit must acquire specialized skills and knowledge to provide care to the critically ill client. These nurses can validate this specialty competence through what process?
certification
A client was admitted to a postoperative nursing unit after undergoing abdominal surgery. During this time, the nurse failed to recognize the significance of abdominal swelling, which significantly increased during the next 6 hours. Later, the client had to undergo emergency surgery. The lack of action on the nurse's part is liable for action. Which legal term describes the case?
tort
While a client admitted to the medical-surgical unit is in the radiology department, a visitor claiming to be the client's cousin arrives on the medical-surgical unit and asks the nurse to provide a brief outline of the client's illness. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate, both legally and professionally?
"I cannot give you that information due to client confidentiality."
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."
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 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 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 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.
A family brings the client 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 confirms that the client's family has signed the consent form.
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
Professional regulations and laws that govern nursing practice are in place for which reason?
To protect the safety of the public
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
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 nurse 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
Which scenario is an example of certification?
A nurse who demonstrates advanced expertise in a content area of nursing through special testing