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The LPN has the responsibility to take the vital signs for a client who had a surgical procedure earlier that day. The blood pressure results were 78/42 mm Hg from a previous 132/74 mm Hg. The LPN documented the results without reporting them to the RN in charge. The client developed shock and died 3 hours later. What type of unintentional tort may the nurse be sued for?
- A. Defamation
- B. Battery
- C. Assault
- D. Malpractice
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The law defines malpractice as professional negligence. It refers to harm that result from a licensed person's actions or lack of action. A jury must determine if the responsible person's conduct deviated from the standard expected of others with similar education and experience. All other answers are intentional torts.
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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 nurse is administering a medication to a client for the treatment of constipation. The client expresses preferring not to take the medication today. The nurse respects the client's right and says if the client needs it later, just let the nurse know. What professional value is the nurse displaying?
- A. Beneficence
- B. Nonmaleficence
- C. Autonomy
- D. Fidelity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Autonomy refers to a client's right to self-determination or the freedom to make choices without opposition. Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm to the client. If a nurse fails to check a prescription for an unusually high dose of insulin and administers it, the nurse has violated the principle of nonmaleficence. Beneficence is the duty to do good for the clients assigned to the nurse's care. The nurse has a duty to remove wrist restraints whenever possible (removing a harm) and to help the client regain independence (promoting and doing good). Fidelity is the duty to maintain commitments of professional obligations and responsibilities.
The LPN has been fired from their job at the nursing home and reported to the state board of nursing for giving medication to a client without a physician's prescription. The LPN states not being aware that this was a violation of scope of practice. What is the LPN's responsibility regarding knowing how to practice within their scope?
- A. The nurse should call the state board and ask for a list of what LPNs can and cannot do.
- B. The nurse should access their state nurse practice act to determine the set standard for nurses in that state.
- C. The nurse should ask an RN what their scope of practice is.
- D. The nurse should ask another LPN what LPNs can and cannot do.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Nurse practice acts define nursing practice and set standards for nurses in each state. These legal statues regulate the practice of nursing to protect the health and safety of citizens. Although each state has its own nurse practice act, they all share common components. The LPN should have accessed this information directly from the board website or asked for a written nurse practice act from the state of practice. The nurse practice act does not designate what specific tasks the nurse can and cannot perform. The LPN should not ask others who may not have the answers.
The nurse is assigned to a group of clients on the medical floor. A client at the hospital has a neighbor visit who asks the nurse what is wrong with the client. The nurse checks the client's electronic medical record (EMR) and proceeds to inform the visitor about the client's diagnosis. What federal guideline has the nurse violated?
- A. HIPAA
- B. Nurse Practice Act
- C. Hospital policy
- D. Agency standards of practice
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The client has the right to request restrictions and confidential communications concerning protected health information, which is an overview of the major client protections provided by HIPAA. The nurse may also have violated the hospital's policy and/or an agency's standards of practice, depending on their verbiage, and the Nurse Practice Act, but the federal guideline violated is HIPAA.
The nurse is preparing a client for a colonoscopy at the hospital. Who does the nurse understand is responsible for obtaining the informed consent from this client?
- A. The nurse
- B. The primary provider
- C. The nurse manager
- D. The health care provider's office nurse
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The primary provider obtains the informed consent and must inform the client of the description of the procedure, potential benefits, material risk involved, acceptable alternatives available, expected outcome, and consequences if the procedure is not done.