Nokea
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.
You may also like to solve these questions
Which of the following statements regarding the statute of limitations is correct?
- A. It is applicable only in the case of a minor.
- B. There is no designated time for a person to file a lawsuit.
- C. The designated time is typically calculated from the time the incident occurred.
- D. It provides legal immunity to rescuers who provide first aid in the case of an emergency.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A statute of limitations is the designated time for a person to file a lawsuit. The time is typically calculated from the time the incident occurred. If the injured party is a minor, the statute of limitations sometimes does not commence until the victim reaches adulthood. Good Samaritan law ensures legal immunity for rescuers who provide first aid in the case of an emergency to accident victims.
Which of the following is a true statement with regard to laws?
- A. They deal with right and wrong.
- B. They are written rules for conduct and actions.
- C. They consider beliefs about morals and values.
- D. They do not have a formal enforcement system.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Laws are written rules for conduct and actions. Ethical standards dictate the rightness or wrongness of human behavior. Ethics are moral principles and values. Laws do have a formal enforcement system.
Which of the following statements is applicable when a competent client wants to leave a hospital or long-term care facility before being discharged by the physician?
- A. Physical or chemical restraints are used to detain the client.
- B. The nurse applies restraints based on a current medical prescription.
- C. The nurse determines whether the client's safety or the safety of others is at risk.
- D. The client signs a form releasing the healthcare facility from its responsibility.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: A nurse should not detain a competent client who wants to leave a hospital or long-term care facility before being discharged by the physician. If a client wants to leave the facility against medical advice, the client should sign a form that releases the healthcare facility from its responsibility. Mentally impaired, confused, or disoriented clients may be restrained if their safety or the safety of others is at risk; this does not apply to a competent client.
The LPN was assisting a client with a bath, and some of the bathwater spilled on the floor. The nurse assisted the client back to the bed and left the room, forgetting to clean the spill. The client got out of the bed to use the bedside commode and slipped on the water, leading to a hip fracture. What type of unintentional tort may the client sue the nurse for?
- A. Battery
- B. Negligence
- C. Assault
- D. False imprisonment
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Negligence describes the failure to act as a reasonable person would have acted in a similar situation. If harm results from the action, a person may sue that individual for negligence. The nurse was negligent in not cleaning up the spill and caused the client harm. Battery, assault, and false imprisonments are all intentional torts.
Which of the following is a measure taken to protect healthcare workers from being charged with battery?
- A. The client's signed release is obtained for presentations.
- B. The nurse uses initials instead of names in written reports.
- C. Clients sign a written consent before undergoing any kind of procedure.
- D. The nurse draws bedside curtains while giving personal care.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: To protect healthcare workers from being charged with battery, clients sign a general permission for care and treatment at the time of hospitalization. They also sign a written consent before undergoing special tests, procedures, or surgery. Obtaining a signed release for recognizable photographs for publications, using initials or code numbers instead of names in written reports or research papers, and drawing bedside curtains when giving personal care are essential for protecting a client's privacy.