Assignment: Legal Aspects of Nursing

Assignment: Legal Aspects of Nursing

Quiz 1

Question 1

External sources for determining standards of care include:

Answers:

Hospital policy and procedure manuals.

Professional journals and nursing texts.

The individual nurse’s experience and education.

The individual nurse’s job description.

Question 2

The statute of limitations for a lawsuit:

Answers:

Defines events that will not be allowed to be discussed at trial.

Defines the period of time in which a lawsuit may be filed.

Is suspended for minors in all states until they become 18 years of age.

Limits the number of plaintiffs and defendants in any given lawsuit.

Question 3

The single most critical factor in determining whether a particular nurse acted with reasonable care in a given situation is:

Answers:

The number of years the nurse has practiced as a professional.

The experience the nurse has in a particular clinical setting.

The ability of the nurse to perform according to his or her job description.

How the nurse’s conduct compared to the conduct of other nurses with similar backgrounds and experience.

Question 4

Which of the following persons would best qualify as an expert in a nursing malpractice case filed because of failure of a post-anesthesia care unit nurse to recognize the early signs and symptoms of respiratory arrest?

Answers:

The director of nursing at the hospital, who holds an MSN in Nursing Administration.

The director of clinical pharmacy, who holds a doctoral degree in clinical pharmacology.

A critical care nurse, who holds a BSN in nursing and certification from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).

A staff nurse, who works on the general medical floor and has recently earned a BSN degree.

Question 5

Match the definition to the term provided:

Question

Match

Moral Stress

Moral distress

Moral Uncertainty

Moral Dilemma

All Answer Choices

A.

Questioning the right course of action.

B.

Negative painful state of psychological imbalance which occurs when moral decisions cannot be implemented due to real or perceived constraints.

C.

Occurs when two ethical principles compete.

D.

Conflicting but morally justifiable course of action.

Question 6

The defendant in a lawsuit is the party:

Answers:

Bringing the lawsuit against another.

Who was injured by the nurse or health care provider.

Who is answering a complaint brought against him or her.

Who is the health care institution in the case.

Question 7

The health care team is involved in a situation in which there are two equally undesirable options. One of these options must be chosen and applied to the situation. What term describes this situation?

Answers:

Ethical challenge

Ethical dilemma

Ethical paradox

Ethical contradiction

Question 8

Ordering Question: There are various ethical decision-making models used by nurses when making ethical decisions. The easiest model nurses use at the bedside is the MORAL Model. Place the steps of this model in order:

Answers

Massage the dilemma

Outline the options

Resolve the dilemma

Act by applying the chosen option

Evaluate the entire process

Question 9

The plaintiff in a lawsuit is the party:

Answers:

Bringing the lawsuit against another.

Who is answering the complaint brought against him or her.

Who stands in the place of the injured party.

Who is the health care institution in the case.

Question 10

When nurses assist patients to understand their own value system and make choices consistent with those values, the approach to advocacy is said to be the

Answers:

Rights protection model.

Autonomy model.

Values-based decision model.

Patient advocate model.

Question 11

Anthony and Bob are neighbors. One day, Anthony suddenly attacks Bob with a knife, wounding him severely. Bob is hospitalized for an extended period of time and eventually loses function of his right arm. Anthony is arrested and charged with battery and assault. The classification or type of law that would determine the case against Anthony is:

Answers:

Civil law.

Constitutional law.

Criminal law.

Private law.

Question 12

Ethics as a discipline differs from law in which way?

Answers:

Ethics is external, while law is internal.

Ethics focuses on the individual, rather than society as a whole.

Ethics applies to conduct and actions rather than motive and attitude.

Ethics relies heavily on judicial enforcement.

Question 13

A nurse brings suit against the hospital after being terminated for excessive absenteeism. Who is the defendant in this lawsuit?

Answers:

The nurse bringing the suit

The nurse’s attorney

The hospital

The hospital’s attorney

Question 14

To more fully provide ethical nursing care, nurses should:

Answers:

Explore the values and beliefs of the physicians with whom they work.

Explore their own values and beliefs.

Seek others’ input rather than relying on their own ethical determinations.

Request that all dilemmas be presented to the Hospital Ethics Committee for solution.

Question 15

Ethical dilemmas most often involve:

Answers:

Patients’ right to die.

Patients’ right to privacy.

Nurses’ violation of the Code of Ethics.

Conflicts in basic human rights.

Question 16

When a nurse manager assists an employee in deciding about the employee’s future career and possible options available to him or her, the manager is most likely following the ethical principle of:

Answers:

Justice

Fidelity

Autonomy

Paternalism

Question 17

When a professional nurse does not adhere to therapeutic jurisprudence in his or her decision making when caring for their patients and results in harm to a patient, what type of law would be enforced?

Answers:

Constitutional law.

Tort law.

Contract law.

Patent law.

Question 18

Which group or person has authority to write statutory law such as nurse practice acts?

Answers:

State legislatures

State boards of nursing

State governors

State nursing associations

Question 19

Ethical theories that derive norms and rules from the duties human beings owe to each other fall under the broad classification of:

Answers:

Teleological theories.

Deontological theories.

Utilitarian theories.

Situational ethics.

Question 20

Internal sources for determining standards of care include:

Answers:

Hospital policy and procedure manuals.

Professional journals and nursing texts.