Assignment: Hospital’s Policy on Nurse

Assignment: Hospital’s Policy on Nurse

Question 6

A hospital’s policy states that a nurse must cosign all charts that licensed practical nurses complete. What is the effect of this policy on a nurse working on a busy medical floor?

Answers:

It places the nurse in the position of endorsing and authenticating the entries made in the charts that he or she cosigns.

It gives legal proof that the nurse was in the hospital.

It is unclear whether there is any liability for the nurse.

It has no legal effect on the nurse in this type of unit.

Question 7

A nurse is leaving the parking lot at the hospital and carelessly runs over a patient who was just discharged. Ironically, the nurse had been assigned to care for that patient that day. If the patient sues this nurse, which statement is true?

Answers:

The nurse can be held liable for both negligence and malpractice.

The nurse can be held liable for negligence but not malpractice.

The nurse can be held liable for malpractice but not negligence.

The nurse cannot be held liable for either malpractice or negligence based upon this set of facts.

Question 8

Circumstances that may be exceptions to obtaining informed consent include:

Answers:

Emergency situation, therapeutic privilege, patient waiver, and prior patient knowledge.

Emergency situation, qualified privilege, patient waiver, and prior patient knowledge.

Emergency situation, therapeutic privilege, waiver by the patient or the staff, and prior patient knowledge.

Emergency situation, prior patient knowledge, therapeutic privilege, and patient inability to sign the form.

Question 9

An angry patient had a pocket knife that he was using to keep others away from him and the nurse confiscated the pocket knife. The nurse’s best defense for the confiscation of the pocket knife would be:

Answers:

Consent.

Self-defense.

Necessity.

Privilege.

Question 10

Nursing students are frequently required to show proof of malpractice insurance before beginning their clinical experience. The reason for requiring malpractice insurance coverage for students in clinical settings is:

Answers:

The law requires all students to have individual policies.

Nursing students are just as liable as registered nurses for acts of malpractice.

The cost of coverage is minimal and is fully tax deductible.

Students are more likely to give substandard care than registered nurses are.

Question 11

The main purpose of documentation is to:

Answers:

Communicate the patient’s condition to all members of the health care team.

Record patient information for future research studies.

Verify dates of patients’ admissions to health care institutions.

Ensure that all charges are validly documented and assessed to the patient for collection from third-party payers.

Question 12

A patient on the medical-surgical unit became confused and dangerous to himself and others in the setting, restraints were applied, and the patient was confined to bed. The nurse’s best defense for applying the restraints would be:

Answers:

Consent

Self-defense

Necessity

Privilege

Question 13

If an adult patient is given treatment for which he or she has not previously consented, the health care provider administering the treatment may be held liable for:

Answers:

Battery

Assault.

Malpractice.

False imprisonment.

Question 14

Under a claims-made insurance policy, for which claim is the nurse protected?

Answers:

Claims that were filed before the insurance coverage became active

Claims that are filed for incidents during the active period of the policy

Claims filed within a 30-day grace period before or after policy times

Claims for all future events, whether the policy is active at that time or not

Question 15

If a nurse is named in a lawsuit and he or she has no professional malpractice insurance coverage, the nurse:

Answers:

Is considered judgment-proof and will not be required to pay damages.

Can be held personally responsible for all damages assessed.

Can rely upon the hospital’s insurance policy as protection from personal financial responsibility.

Will be nonsuited from the filed lawsuit once this fact is known.

Question 16

One of the more convincing arguments for having malpractice insurance is:

Answers:

Having insurance assures that the nurse will not be named in lawsuits.

Having insurance makes it more costly for the plaintiff to file suit against the nurse.

Defending against a lawsuit is costly in today’s society.

Filing a lawsuit is costly in today’s society.

Question 17

Which of the following situations would support a charge of malpractice against a professional nurse?

Answers:

A failure on the part of the nurse to allay a patient’s fears.

A failure on the part of the nurse to exercise reasonable and prudent care in treating a patient.

A failure on the part of the nurse to establish a therapeutic relationship with the patient.

A failure on the part of the nurse to ensure that patients only received care for which they could pay.

Question 18

An elderly patient is taken to CT scan and has a seizure violently hitting his head requiring sutures above the eyebrow. The next day, while the patient’s wife is visiting she is informed about the mishap and asks to see the incident report. Your first action should be to:

Answers:

Show her the incident report immediately since she has power of attorney for the patient.

Tell her the incident report is only discoverable in some states and Florida is not one of them.

Notify the nurse manager and risk management immediately of the request.

Call the physician to go over the report with the patient and his family.

Question 19

A nurse has decided to purchase individual professional liability insurance. The purchased policy states that coverage is only valid for suits filed while the policy is in effect. Which type of policy is reflected by this statement?

Answers:

Claims-made

Certificate -based

Occurrence-based

Employer-sponsored

Question 20

In caring for the suit-prone patient, one of the interventions that nurses should remember and use is:

Answers:

Give the same compassionate, competent care that all patients receive.

Treat the patient in the same rude and hostile manner as the patient.

Avoid the patient if possible so that there will be less chance of saying the wrong thing or performing in an incompetent manner.

Assign the patient to a different nurse each shift, so that no one nurse will become the target of a lawsuit.

NUR3826 Ethical and Legal Aspects of Nursing

Quiz 3

Question 1

Delegation has been a concept used in nursing:

Answers:

Since the 1990s.

Since the early 1970s.

Since the mid-1950s.

Throughout all of nursing’s history.