Exam 3: Legal and Ethical Issues

A nurse on your inpatient psychiatric unit is found to have made sexually explicit remarks toward a patient with a previous history of sexual abuse.The patient sues, claiming malpractice.What conditions do not apply in this situation and do not support malpractice?

A staff nurse, who was fired for reporting patient abuse to the appropriate state agency, files a whistleblower lawsuit against the former employer.What reason would the court provide to uphold a valid whistleblower suit claiming retaliation by the nurse?

You volunteer at a free community clinic.A 13-year-old girl presents with chlamydia.The team leader at the clinic advises that:

In keeping with standards of The Joint Commission (TJC), the nurse manager organizes an orientation for new staff members.As part of the orientation, the nurse manager reviews the employee handbook.What is the basis that binds employers to statements in the employee handbook?

Mr.M.complains to you that one of your staff asked him details about his sexual relationships and financial affairs.He says that these questions were probing and unnecessary to his care, but he felt that if he refused to answer, the nurse would be angry with him and would not provide him with good care.Mr.M.'s statements reflect concern with:

An individual in a wheelchair is applying for the position of receptionist in an outpatient clinic.What does the nurse manager understand based on The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requirements for employers?

In a telehealth organization, a nurse who is licensed in New York and Pennsylvania provides teaching to a patient who resides in Pennsylvania.The patient charges that the teaching failed to provide significant information about a potential side effect, which led to delay in seeking treatment and untoward harm.Under which state nurse practice act and standards would this situation be considered?

Which ethical principle is primarily involved in informed consent?

To reduce the incidence of falls in a skilled nursing unit, the nurse manager contacts the risk manager.Risk management is a process that attempts to identify potential hazards and:

During a staff shortage, you hire an RN from a temporary agency.The RN administers a wrong IV medication that results in cardiac arrest and a difficult recovery for the patient.Liability in this situation:

One of your staff nurses asks for your advice because a patient refuses to sign a consent for surgery.The patient says that he won't sign because he doesn't understand the nature of the surgery.You advise that: (Select all that apply.)

As a charge nurse, you counsel your RN staff member that they have has their duty of care by notifying a child's physician regarding concerns about deterioration in the child's status at 0330 hours.The physician does not come in to assess the child and does not provide additional orders.The child dies at 0630 hours.As the charge nurse, you could be held liable for what?

A patient refuses a simple procedure that you believe is in the patient's best interest.What two ethical principles are in conflict in this situation?

The manager in the coronary care unit believes an important ethical consideration in performance evaluations is to include the employee's good qualities and give positive direction for professional growth.What ethical principle does this represent?

On your nursing unit, you employ LPNs, RNs, and advanced practice nurses.You will need to be familiar with at least:

To satisfy duty of care to a patient, a nurse manager is legally responsible for all of the following except:

Three gravely ill patients are candidates for the only available bed in the ICU.As the supervisor, you assign the bed to the patient with the best chance of recovery.This decision reflects which of the following ethical principles?

While walking past a patient's room, you overhear one of the RN staff telling a patient that the patient has no right to refuse chemotherapy treatment because the family and the doctor think the treatment is the best option for the patient.This patient is 40 years of age and alert.When you meet later to discuss what you heard with the RN, it is important to:

A member of a patient's family calls the nurse manager of the palliative care unit to express concern that a member of the family, who died on the weekend, had requested analgesics from the RNs on duty.An RN came with the analgesic nearly 45 minutes later, just after the patient had died.The manager is aware that the unit was especially busy that weekend because many patients were seriously ill, staff had called in ill, and the staffing manager was unable to completely replace staff who were absent.The manager is deeply troubled that the family member had to die in pain because it violates what she knows should have been done.This manager is experiencing:

With regard to nursing practice, nurse managers are held responsible for: (Select all that apply.)