Foundations Ch 3, 6 & 7

• Accountability: Taking responsibility for ones actions
• Confidential: kept private
• Prudent: sensible and careful person
• Negligence: failing to meet the standard of care
• Malpractice: negligence by a professional person
• Defamation: when someone makes untrue remarks that damage the other persons reputation
• Battery: physical contact that has been refused or carried out against the persons will
• Libel: written form of defamation
• Slander: oral form of defamation
• Invasion of Privacy: violation of confidential and privileged nature of a professional relationship
• Assault: threat to harm another or to threaten to touch another without that persons permission
• Nurse Licensure Compacts: participating states allow nurses to be licensed in one state and practice in any state belonging to the contract
• Beneficence: to do good; taking positive action to help others
• Nonmaleficence: to avoid causing harm to someone
• Veracity: being honest and truthful
• Fidelity: keeping promises
• Autonomy: respecting someones self-determination
• ISBAR-R communication was devised to provide complete, concise communication between health care professionals.
• I- Introduction

  S- Situation

  B- Background

  A- Assessment

  R- Recommendation

  -

  R- Readback
• When informing consent you must:

  • Provide the risk and benefits of the proposed treatment
  • List the possible consequences of having the procedure done
  • Give alternatives to the treatment
  • Provide the name of the health care professional who will perform the procedure
• Violation of ethical behavior can be disciplined by a licensing or regulating agency
• Ways to prevent lawsuits:

  • Competent nursing practice
  • careful documentation
  • development of a caring relationship with the patient
  • professional communication
• Violating the nurse practice act could result in temporary suspension or loss of licensure
• The purpose of the standards of care are to provide a way of judging the quality and effectiveness of patient care and to determine whether a nurse acted correctly
• The purpose of National Patient Safety Goal is to promote specific improvements in patient safety, staff communication and preventing mistakes in surgery
• The purpose of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses project (QSEN) is to communicate the introduction of yourself and your patient; including your role and unit and readback to encourage verification
• The delegating nurse is responsible for making sure the delegated task was completed
• 5 Rights of Delegation:

  1. The right task
  2. The right circumstance
  3. The right person
  4. The right supervision
  5. The right direction/communication
• Tort: violation of civil law
• A student may show accountability by:

  • providing safe patient care
  • preparing adequately for clinical assignments
  • reporting any errors
  • evaluating the care given
• Sexual harassment is illegal when it interferes with someones job performance
• A signed informed consent is not necessary in an emergency when no next of kin can be located and patient is unconscious and unable to communicate
• A consent for surgery is used to show that the patient has consented to getting blood drawn, treatments by the nurse such as catheterization and treatment by the physical or respiratory therapist
• Incidents to be recorded on an incident/occurrence form:

  • A patient falling to the floor while getting out of bed
  • A visitor slipping and falling on a wet hallway floor
  • Giving the patient the wrong medication
• Legal points in HIPAA:

  • Patient has a right to amend an error in their medical record
  • Information cannot be given to outside sources without the patients permission
  • Patient information must not be exposed to public view
• According to HIPAA in order to provide information to family members or close friends you must make certain that the patient has no objection to the information being shared
• Reportable events under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA):

  • A school-age child who continually comes to school unbathed and in dirty clothes
  • A child who has been brought to the emergency department for the fourth time in a year with a broken bone that the parent says must be from a fall that was unwitnessed
  • Suspicion of possible sex-trafficking of a child
• Don't photocopy any part of the medical record; instead make personal notes about the patient avoiding the use of identifying information including patient name, initials, age, room number, gender or providers name.
• Legislators, agencies and courts create laws
• Codes of ethics are written by professional orgnaizations