Chapter 7: Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice

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?

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?

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

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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

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.

All states privilege nurse-patient communication.

Negligence may be an act of [blank_start]omission[blank_end] or [blank_start]commission[blank_end].

Consent must be [blank_start]written[blank_end].

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.

Your role as a nurse is to [blank_start]confirm[blank_end] that a signed consent form is present in the patient's chart and to [blank_start]answer[blank_end] any patient questions about the consent.

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

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

Practicing nurses enter into legally valid and binding contracts with both their [blank_start]employers[blank_end] and their [blank_start]patients[blank_end].

Contracts w/patients are not implied.

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

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?

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?

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

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?

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?

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?

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?