Chapter 7: Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice

Question 1 of 28

1

A state attorney decides to charge a nurse w/ manslaughter for allegedly administering a lethal medication. This is an example of what type of law?

Select one of the following:

Public law
Private law
Civil law
Criminal law

Explanation

Question 2 of 28

1

Newly hired nurses in a busy suburban hospital are required to read the sate Nurse Practice Act as part of their training. Which topics are covered by this act?

Select one or more of the following:

Violations that may result in disciplinary action
clinical procedures
medication administration
scope of practice
delegation policies
medicare reimbursement

Explanation

Question 3 of 28

1

Jean a veteran nurse, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor negligence charge in the case of a 75 year old woman who died after slipping into a coma during routine outpatient eye surgery at an eye surgery center. Jean admitted that she failed to monitor the woman's vital signs during the procedure. The surgeon who performed the procedure called the nurses's action pure negligence, saying that the patient could have been saved. The patient was a vibrant grandmother of 10 who had walked 3/4 of a mile the morning of her surgery and had sung in her church choir the day before. As part of her plea arrangement, the nurse agreed to serve 6 months of probation - the first 2 months on house arrest - and surrender her nursing license.

Those bringing the changes against Jean are called

Select one of the following:

Appellates
Defendants
Plaintiffs
Attorneys

Explanation

Question 4 of 28

1

Jean a veteran nurse, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor negligence charge in the case of a 75 year old woman who died after slipping into a coma during routine outpatient eye surgery at an eye surgery center. Jean admitted that she failed to monitor the woman's vital signs during the procedure. The surgeon who performed the procedure called the nurses's action pure negligence, saying that the patient could have been saved. The patient was a vibrant grandmother of 10 who had walked 3/4 of a mile the morning of her surgery and had sung in her church choir the day before. As part of her plea arrangement, the nurse agreed to serve 6 months of probation - the first 2 months on house arrest - and surrender her nursing license.

Jean's attorney was careful to explain in her defense that Jean had specialty knowledge, experience, and clinical judgment and had met certain criteria established by a nongovernmental association, as a result of which she was granted recognition in a specified practice area. What is this sort of credential called?

Select one of the following:

accreditation
lincensure
certification
board approval

Explanation

Question 5 of 28

1

Jean a veteran nurse, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor negligence charge in the case of a 75 year old woman who died after slipping into a coma during routine outpatient eye surgery at an eye surgery center. Jean admitted that she failed to monitor the woman's vital signs during the procedure. The surgeon who performed the procedure called the nurses's action pure negligence, saying that the patient could have been saved. The patient was a vibrant grandmother of 10 who had walked 3/4 of a mile the morning of her surgery and had sung in her church choir the day before. As part of her plea arrangement, the nurse agreed to serve 6 months of probation - the first 2 months on house arrest - and surrender her nursing license.

If review of this patient's record revealed that she had never consented to the eye surgery, of which intentional tort might the surgeon have been guilty?

Select one of the following:

assault
battery
invasion of privacy
false imprisonment

Explanation

Question 6 of 28

1

Jean a veteran nurse, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor negligence charge in the case of a 75 year old woman who died after slipping into a coma during routine outpatient eye surgery at an eye surgery center. Jean admitted that she failed to monitor the woman's vital signs during the procedure. The surgeon who performed the procedure called the nurses's action pure negligence, saying that the patient could have been saved. The patient was a vibrant grandmother of 10 who had walked 3/4 of a mile the morning of her surgery and had sung in her church choir the day before. As part of her plea arrangement, the nurse agreed to serve 6 months of probation - the first 2 months on house arrest - and surrender her nursing license.

What must be established to prove that malpractice or negligence has occurred in this case?

Select one of the following:

The surgeon who performed the procedure called the nurse's action pure negligence, saying that the patient could have been saved
The fact that this patient should not have died - she was a vibrant grandmother of 10 who had walked 3/4 of a mile the morning of her surgery and had sung in her church choir the day before
The nurse intended to harm the patient and was willfully negligent
The nurse had a duty to monitor the patient's vital signs, failed to do so, the patient died, and it was Jean's failure to do her duty that caused the patient's death

Explanation

Question 7 of 28

1

Jean a veteran nurse, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor negligence charge in the case of a 75 year old woman who died after slipping into a coma during routine outpatient eye surgery at an eye surgery center. Jean admitted that she failed to monitor the woman's vital signs during the procedure. The surgeon who performed the procedure called the nurses's action pure negligence, saying that the patient could have been saved. The patient was a vibrant grandmother of 10 who had walked 3/4 of a mile the morning of her surgery and had sung in her church choir the day before. As part of her plea arrangement, the nurse agreed to serve 6 months of probation - the first 2 months on house arrest - and surrender her nursing license.

When the attorney representing the patient's family calls Jean and asks to talk w/her about the case so that he can better understand her actions, how should Jean respond?

Select one of the following:

I'm sorry, but I can't talk w/you. You'll have to contact my attorney.
Answer the attorney's questions honestly and make sure he understands her side of the story
Appeal to the attorney's sense of compassion and try to enlist his sympathy by telling him how busy it was that morning
Why are you doing this to me? This could ruin me!

Explanation

Question 8 of 28

1

A nurse administers the wrong medication to a patient and the patient is harmed. The physician who ordered the medication didn't read the documentation that the patient was allergic to the drug. Which statement is true regarding liability for the administration of the wrong medication?

Select one of the following:

The nurse is not responsible, because the nurse was merely following the doctor's needs
Only the nurse is responsible, because the nurse actually administered the medication
Only the physician is responsible, because the physician actually ordered the drug
Both the nurse and the physician are responsible for their respectice actions

Explanation

Question 9 of 28

1

A nurse answers a patient's call light and finds the patient on the floor by the bathroom door. AFter calling for assistance and examining the patient for injury, the nurse helps the patient back to bed and then fills out an incident report. Which statements accurately describe aspects of this procedure?

Select one or more of the following:

An incident report is used as disciplinary action against staff members
an incident report is used as a means of identifying risks
an incident report is used for quality control
the facility manager completes the incident report
an incident report makes facts available in case litigation occurs
filing of an incident report should be documented in the patient record

Explanation

Question 10 of 28

1

A nursing students asks the charge nurse about legal liability when performing clinical practice. Which statement regarding liability is true?

Select one of the following:

Students are not responsible for their acts of negligence resulting in patient injury
Student nurses are held to the same standard of care that would be used to evaluate the actions of a registered nurse
hospitals are exempt from liability for student negligence if the student nurse is properly supervised by an instructor.
Most nursing programs carry group professional liability making student personal professional liability insurance unnecessary

Explanation

Question 11 of 28

1

Drug or alcohol abuse is currently the most frequent reason the State boards of nursing may revoke or suspend a nurse's license or registration.

Select one of the following:

True
False

Explanation

Question 12 of 28

1

All states privilege nurse-patient communication.

Select one of the following:

True
False

Explanation

Question 13 of 28

1

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Negligence may be an act of or .

Explanation

Question 14 of 28

1

Fill the blank space to complete the text.

Consent must be .

Explanation

Question 15 of 28

1

Consent is not needed in an emergency if there is an immediate threat to life or health and if the patient is unable to consent and a legally authorized person cannot be reached.

Select one of the following:

True
False

Explanation

Question 16 of 28

1

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Your role as a nurse is to that a signed consent form is present in the patient's chart and to any patient questions about the consent.

Explanation

Question 17 of 28

1

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Unless obtaining consent for a nurse-prescribed and nurse-initiated intervention, as a nurse you sign the consent form as a to having seen the patient sign the form, not as having the consent yourself.

Explanation

Question 18 of 28

1

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

The patient should sign a indicating one's refusal to consent and releasing the nurse, physician, and agency from responsibility for outcomes of this act. This statement should be .

Explanation

Question 19 of 28

1

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Practicing nurses enter into legally valid and binding contracts with both their and their .

Explanation

Question 20 of 28

1

Contracts w/patients are not implied.

Select one of the following:

True
False

Explanation

Question 21 of 28

1

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

If a patient refuses health education or refers you to a family member, this in the patient's record. If the patient requests not to be given any more info, document the patient's initial to teaching, the patient's that it be stopped, and if you complied, your reason for doing so.

Explanation

Question 22 of 28

1

An HIV-positive client discovers that his name is published in a research report on HIV care provided by his nurse. He is hurt and files a lawsuit against her. Which of the following offenses has the nurse committed?

Select one of the following:

Defamation of client
Invasion of privacy
Negligence of duty
Unintentional tort

Explanation

Question 23 of 28

1

A client states that his recent fall was caused by the fact that his scheduled antihypertensives were mistakenly administered by two nurses, an event that is disputed by both of the nurses. Which of the following measures should the nurses prioritize when anticipating that legal action may follow?

Select one of the following:

enlist support from nursing/non-nursing colleagues from the unit
consult w/practice advisors from the state board of nursing
document's the client claims and events surrounding the alleged incident
consult w/the hospital's legal dept asap

Explanation

Question 24 of 28

1

A registered nurse has had her license suspended. What governing body has the authority to revoke or suspend a nursing's license?

Select one of the following:

the national league for nursing
the supreme court
the employing health care institution
the state board of nurse examiners

Explanation

Question 25 of 28

1

A client is scheduled for a colonoscopy. The nurse realizes immediately after administering medications to induce conscious sedation that the client has not signed the informed consent. If the nurse has the client sign the informed consent, which element of informed consent would be violated?

Select one of the following:

voluntariness
disclosure
comprehension
competence

Explanation

Question 26 of 28

1

A nurse exits the room of a confused client w/out raising the side rails on the bed. The failure to raise the side rails would be which of the following elements of liability related to malpractice?

Select one of the following:

damages
duty
breach of duty
causation

Explanation

Question 27 of 28

1

Which of the following situations is an example of battery that the nurse may experience while performing her nursing duties at the health care facilities?

Select one of the following:

telling the client that he cannot leave the hospital
witnessing a procedure done on a client w/out his consent
taking a client's photograph w/out his consent
performing a surgical procedure w/out getting consent

Explanation

Question 28 of 28

1

The nurse fails to contact the physician regarding a client who had an open-reduction internal fixation of the tibia and has experienced increasing pain (unrelieved by pain medication) for the past 4 hours. Which element of liability has been violated?

Select one of the following:

breach of duty
damages
duty
causation

	Created by Alexandra Bozan over 6 years ago

Unit I: Foundations of Nursing Practice Chapter 7: Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice

Chapter 7: Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice

Question 1 of 28

A state attorney decides to charge a nurse w/ manslaughter for allegedly administering a lethal medication. This is an example of what type of law?

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 2 of 28

Newly hired nurses in a busy suburban hospital are required to read the sate Nurse Practice Act as part of their training. Which topics are covered by this act?

Select one or more of the following:

Explanation

Question 3 of 28

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 4 of 28

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 5 of 28

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 6 of 28

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 7 of 28

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 8 of 28

A nurse administers the wrong medication to a patient and the patient is harmed. The physician who ordered the medication didn't read the documentation that the patient was allergic to the drug. Which statement is true regarding liability for the administration of the wrong medication?

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 9 of 28

Select one or more of the following:

Explanation

Question 10 of 28

A nursing students asks the charge nurse about legal liability when performing clinical practice. Which statement regarding liability is true?

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 11 of 28

Drug or alcohol abuse is currently the most frequent reason the State boards of nursing may revoke or suspend a nurse's license or registration.

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 12 of 28

All states privilege nurse-patient communication.

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 13 of 28

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Negligence may be an act of or .

Explanation

Question 14 of 28

Fill the blank space to complete the text.

Consent must be .

Explanation

Question 15 of 28

Consent is not needed in an emergency if there is an immediate threat to life or health and if the patient is unable to consent and a legally authorized person cannot be reached.

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 16 of 28

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Your role as a nurse is to that a signed consent form is present in the patient's chart and to any patient questions about the consent.

Explanation

Question 17 of 28

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Unless obtaining consent for a nurse-prescribed and nurse-initiated intervention, as a nurse you sign the consent form as a to having seen the patient sign the form, not as having the consent yourself.

Explanation

Question 18 of 28

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

The patient should sign a indicating one's refusal to consent and releasing the nurse, physician, and agency from responsibility for outcomes of this act. This statement should be .

Explanation

Question 19 of 28

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

Practicing nurses enter into legally valid and binding contracts with both their and their .

Explanation

Question 20 of 28

Contracts w/patients are not implied.

Select one of the following:

Explanation

Question 21 of 28

Fill the blank spaces to complete the text.

If a patient refuses health education or refers you to a family member, this in the patient's record. If the patient requests not to be given any more info, document the patient's initial to teaching, the patient's that it be stopped, and if you complied, your reason for doing so.

Explanation