Nokea
An LPN is at a community softball game observing the game when a person sitting nearby clutches the chest and falls to the ground. The nurse begins cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and in the process, one of the person's ribs cracks. The client is taken by rescue squad to the hospital and survives a heart attack. What may protect the nurse from this outcome?
- A. The state board of nursing
- B. Statute of limitations
- C. Good Samaritan law
- D. Assumption of risk
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Many states have enacted Good Samaritan laws, which provide legal immunity for rescuers who provide first aid to accident victims in an emergency. The law defines an emergency as one occurring outside a hospital, not in an emergency department. Statute of limitations is the designated time in which a person can file a lawsuit. Assumption of risk is if a client is forewarned of a potential safety hazard and chooses to ignore the warning; the court may hold the client responsible. The state board of nursing would not be involved unless the nurse was reported for negligent or care outside of the scope of practice.
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The nurse is caring for an alert and oriented client in the hospital. The client is unhappy with the care the hospital is giving and states they are leaving the hospital. The nurse brings the client a sedative and tells the client that it is for blood pressure to prevent the client from leaving the facility. What type of intentional tort is this nurse guilty of?
- A. Assault
- B. Battery
- C. False imprisonment
- D. Invasion of privacy
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: False imprisonment occurs when healthcare workers physically or chemically restrain an individual from leaving a healthcare institution. A nurse cannot detain a competent client who wishes to leave a hospital or long-term care facility before being discharged by the physician. The client may sign an against medical advice form that releases the hospital from liability. Assault is an act that involves a threat or attempt to do bodily harm. Battery is actual physical contact with another person without that person's consent. Invasion of privacy means the failure of the right to expect that the clients and their property will be left alone.
The nurse understands that laws and ethics are made in order to maintain order and harmony within society. What is the difference between laws and ethics?
- A. Laws are written rules for conduct and actions, and ethics are moral principles and values that guide our behavior.
- B. Laws are written to protect society from unsavory people, and ethics are rules for appropriate behavior.
- C. Laws are written to ensure appropriate behavior and ethics are to conduct actions.
- D. Ethics determine how a client is to be treated, and laws are forms of punishment.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Laws are written rules for conduct and actions and ensure the protection of rights, and ethics are moral principles and values that guide the behavior of honorable people. Ethical standards dictate the rightness or wrongness of human behavior. The other answers do not address this as clearly.
The nurse is caring for a terminally ill client in the intensive care unit that is on life support measures. The family members are opposed in their decision to take the client off of life support. What option does the nurse discuss with the nurse manager?
- A. Ask the family to go out of the unit and make a decision that is final.
- B. Contact the ethics committee for their input.
- C. Have the health care provider inform the family that they are not responsible for the decision.
- D. Take the client off of life support when the family is not present.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The ethics committee may be called on to act as an advocate for clients who no longer are mentally capable of making their own decisions. Ethics committees are a valuable resource for reviewing difficult cases and helping ensure a careful and unbiased decision. The nurse is not practicing within the scope of practice by taking the client off of life support. The nurse does not mandate to the health care provider decisions that should be made. It is nontherapeutic for the nurse to ask the family to go out and make a decision.
Which type of law concerns offenses that violate the public's welfare?
- A. Statutory law
- B. Common law
- C. Administrative law
- D. Criminal law
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Criminal law concerns offenses that violate the public's welfare. Statutory law is law that any local, state, or federal legislative body enacts. Common is based on earlier court decisions, judgment, and decrees. Administrative law means that regulatory agencies enforce the rules and regulations that concern health, welfare, and safety of federal and state citizens.
The LPN administered a medication to a client reporting pain. When checking the armband and the medication administration record, there were no allergies listed. The client then tells the nurse of having informed the admitting nurse of being allergic to that medication. What documentation on the incident form would be the best option?
- A. Medication is administered to client by mouth; reports having an allergy to the medication that causes hives.'
- B. The admitting nurse failed to document that the client has an allergy to the medication.'
- C. The client reports being allergic to the medication, but I really don't think so. I didn't see any hives.'
- D. I should have asked the RN if the client is allergic to any medication.'
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Healthcare workers complete incident reports when they make or discover errors or when an event occurs that results in harm. The first option is concise and to the point without any accusation. The LPN's documentation should not accuse the admitting nurse of failure to document. The LPN's documentation should not judge the client's statement nor place blame on the client. The LPN's documentation also should not place the blame on oneself.