Saunders | Ethical & Legal Issues

The nurse has just assisted a client back to bed after a fall. The nurse and health care provider have assessed the client and have determined that the client is not injured. After completing the incident report, the nurse should implement which action next? 1. Reassess the client. 2. Conduct a staff meeting to describe the fall. 3. Document in the nurse's notes that an incident report was completed. 4. Contact the nursing supervisor to update information regarding the fall.

1. Reassess the client. After a client's fall, the nurse must frequently reassess the client because potential complications do not always appear immediately after the fall. The client's fall should be treated as private information and shared on a "need to know" basis. Communication regarding the event should involve only the individuals participating in the client's care. An incident report is a problem-solving document; however, its completion is not documented in the nurse's notes. If the nursing supervisor has been made aware of the incident, the supervisor will contact the nurse if status update is necessary.

Which identifies accurate nursing documentation notations? Select all that apply. 1. The client slept through the night. 2. Abdominal wound dressing is dry and intact without drainage. 3. The client seemed angry when awakened for vital sign measurement. 4. The client appears to become anxious when it is time for respiratory treatments. 5. The client's left lower medial leg wound is 3 cm in length without redness, drainage, or edema.

1. The client slept through the night. 2. Abdominal wound dressing is dry and intact without drainage. 5. The client's left lower medial leg wound is 3 cm in length without redness, drainage, or edema. Factual documentation contains descriptive, objective information about what the nurse sees, hears, feels, or smells. The use of inferences without supporting factual data is not acceptable because it can be misunderstood. The use of vague terms, such as seemed or appears is not acceptable because these words suggest that the nurse is stating an opinion.

The nurse who works on the night shift enters the medication room and finds a co-worker with a tourniquet wrapped around the upper arm. The co-worker is about to "insert a needle, attached to a syringe containing a clear liquid, into the antecubital area. Which is the most appropriate action by the nurse? 1. Call security. 2. Call the police. 3. Call the nursing supervisor. 4. Lock the co-worker in the medication room until help is obtained.

3. Call the nursing supervisor. Nurse practice acts require reporting impaired nurses. The board of nursing has jurisdiction over the practice of nursing and may develop plans for treatment and supervision of the impaired nurse. This incident needs to be reported to the nursing supervisor, who will then report to the board of nursing and other authorities, such as the police, as required. The nurse may call security if a disturbance occurs, but no information in the question supports this need, and so this is not the appropriate action. Option 4 is an inappropriate and unsafe action.

A hospitalized client tells the nurse that a living will is being prepared and that the lawyer will be bringing the will to the hospital today for witness signatures. The client asks the nurse for assistance in obtaining a witness to the will. Which is the most appropriate response to the client? 1. "I will sign as a witness to your signature." 2. "You will need to find a witness on your own." 3. "Whoever is available at the time will sign as a witness for you." 4. "I will call the nursing supervisor to seek assistance regarding your request."

4. "I will call the nursing supervisor to seek assistance regarding your request." Living wills, also known as natural death acts in some states, are required to be in writing and signed by the client. The client's signature must be witnessed by specified individuals or notarized. Laws and guidelines regarding living wills vary from state to state, and it is the responsibility of the nurse to know the laws. Many states prohibit any employee, including the nurse of a facility where the client is receiving care, from being a witness. Option 2 is nontherapeutic and not a helpful response. The nurse should seek the assistance of the nursing supervisor."

More

http://www.freezingblue.com/flashcards/print_preview.cgi?cardsetID=256728