ANM Ethical and Legal Standards 2

Question 1

A nurse manager discovers that a staff nurse has been documenting medication administration before actually giving the medications. What is the most appropriate first action?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a thorough investigation and review patient records for harm

Answer

Immediately terminate the nurse's employment

Answer

Report the incident to the state board of nursing without investigation

Answer

Counsel the nurse privately and allow the behavior to continue under monitoring

Question 2

Which legal doctrine holds hospitals liable for the negligent acts of their employed nurses?

Accepted Answer

Respondeat superior

Answer

Res ipsa loquitur

Answer

Contributory negligence

Answer

Assumption of risk

Question 3

A competent adult patient refuses a blood transfusion on religious grounds despite a life-threatening hemorrhage. The nurse manager should ensure staff:

Accepted Answer

Respect the refusal, document it, and explore alternative treatments

Answer

Override the refusal because the situation is life-threatening

Answer

Administer the transfusion and document patient protest

Answer

Seek an emergency court order to force treatment

Question 4

Under HIPAA, which situation represents a permitted disclosure of protected health information (PHI) without patient authorization?

Accepted Answer

Reporting a gunshot wound to law enforcement as required by state law

Answer

Sharing records with the patient's employer upon request

Answer

Disclosing information to a spouse without the patient's consent

Answer

Providing records to the patient's attorney without a subpoena

Question 5

An ANM notices a pattern of near-miss medication errors on the unit but no actual patient harm has occurred. Ethically, the ANM is obligated to:

Accepted Answer

Investigate and address the system issues causing near-misses proactively

Answer

Wait for an actual error before taking action to avoid unnecessary alarm

Answer

Report only errors that cause patient harm per hospital policy

Answer

Inform the risk management team only if a sentinel event occurs

Question 6

A nurse asks the ANM for guidance on a patient who has a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order but whose family is demanding resuscitation. The ANM should advise:

Accepted Answer

Honor the DNR order as it reflects the competent patient's documented wishes

Answer

Follow the family's wishes since they are the legal next of kin

Answer

Resuscitate the patient to avoid legal liability from the family

Answer

Place a temporary hold on the DNR until family disagreement is resolved

Question 7

Which element is NOT required to prove nursing negligence in a malpractice lawsuit?

Accepted Answer

The nurse intended to cause harm to the patient

Answer

A duty of care existed between the nurse and patient

Answer

The nurse breached the standard of care

Answer

The breach caused measurable patient damages