Fundamentals of Nursing Course Point Quiz- CH. 7

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."

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 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."

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."

A nurse from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) transports a client in the elevator with a nurse from the intensive care unit (ICU). There are staff members and visitors in the elevator as well. Which response from the ICU nurse is appropriate when the PACU nurse begins the report?

"Wait and give me a report in the room at the bedside."

Which statement(s) by a nurse to a charge nurse indicates that the nurse requires further training? Select all that apply.

"When I sign the consent form as a witness, I am saying that the person knows all the risks and benefits of the procedure." "I must make sure I give the client all necessary information about the procedure before I have the client sign the consent form." "When a client is having surgery, it is my responsibility to get the consent."

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.

Which is an example of an unintentional tort?

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

Which scenario is an example of certification?

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

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.

A client informs the nurse about leaving the health care facility because the client is not satisfied with the treatment. The nurse knows that the client's treatment is incomplete and further testing and evaluations are scheduled. Which action by the nurse would be most appropriate to prevent false imprisonment?

Ask the client to sign a release without medical approval.

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

A nurse threatens to restrain a verbally abusive client if the abuse continues. Which legal tort has the nurse committed?

Assault

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

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

The nurse is preparing to administer a prescribed medication and notes the dosage is well above the suggested therapeutic range. Which action should the nurse take?

Call the provider to clarify the medication prescription.

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

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 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.

In some cases, the act of providing nursing care in unexpected situations is covered by the Good Samaritan laws. Which nursing action would most likely be covered by these laws?

Emergency care for a choking victim in a restaurant

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 nurse asks a coworker about the condition of the nurse's next-door neighbor, who has been admitted to the unit. If the coworker shares the neighbor's client information with the nurse, the coworker could be held liable for committing which act?

Invasion of privacy

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

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 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 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

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

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

Which are examples of a nurse appropriately protecting a client's privacy? Select all that apply

With the client's permission, the nurse explains the client's diagnosis to the client's spouse. The nurse moves the client from the emergency department waiting room to a private area to collect assessment data.

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

A nurse who comments to coworkers at lunch that a client with a sexually transmitted infection has been sexually active in the community may be guilty of what tort?

Slander

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

On finding multiple bruises on a client's arms and back, the nurse suspects that the client is being abused by a daughter who lives with the client. When questioned, the client denies any abuse. Despite the client's denial, the nurse should report the suspected abuse on the basis of which rationale?

The nurse has a legal and ethical responsibility to report the suspected abuse.

After reporting to work for a night shift, the nurse learns that the unit is understaffed because two RNs called out sick. As a result, each nurse on the unit must provide care for four acute clients in addition to the nurse's regular clients. Which statement is true for this nurse when working in understaffed circumstances?

The nurse is legally held to the same standards of care as when staffing levels are normal.

While walking through a park, the nurse encounters a child with a swollen and reddened arm that hurts to move due to being struck with a baseball bat. The nurse splints the arm using two baseball bats. The child is transported to the hospital and later develops compartmental syndrome in the arm. Which statement regarding the nurse's liability in this case is accurate?

The nurse is protected by the Good Samaritan Act, which states that the nurse may give emergency care using good judgment.

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.

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

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

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

Which are examples of a nurse appropriately protecting a client's privacy? Select all that apply.

With the client's permission, the nurse explains the client's diagnosis to the client's spouse. The nurse moves the client from the emergency department waiting room to a private area to collect assessment data.

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.

When the nurse informs a client's employer of the client's autoimmune deficiency disease, the nurse is committing the tort of:

invasion of privacy.

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.

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 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