BLS Legal & Ethical Considerations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A bystander witnesses a cardiac arrest in a public park. Under Good Samaritan laws, which action would most likely REMOVE legal protection?
- Performing CPR without formal training
- Stopping care once EMS arrives on scene
- Accepting payment from the victim's family afterward (Correct answer)
- Using an AED available at the park
Correct answer: Accepting payment from the victim's family afterward
Good Samaritan laws typically protect unpaid volunteers; accepting compensation can void that protection.
Question 2: Which document specifically authorizes a designated person to make medical decisions on behalf of an incapacitated patient?
- Living will
- Do-Not-Resuscitate order
- Durable power of attorney for healthcare (Correct answer)
- POLST form
Correct answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
A durable power of attorney for healthcare (healthcare proxy) legally designates someone to make medical decisions when the patient cannot.
Question 3: During a workplace emergency, an unconscious employee has no advance directive on file. What is the correct BLS approach?
- Wait for a supervisor to authorize resuscitation
- Begin CPR immediately, assuming implied consent (Correct answer)
- Call the employee's family before starting CPR
- Defer to coworkers who know the employee's wishes
Correct answer: Begin CPR immediately, assuming implied consent
Implied consent applies to unconscious patients who cannot consent; rescuers should begin CPR without delay.
Question 4: A POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form differs from a standard DNR because it:
- Is only valid in hospital settings
- Covers a broader range of treatment preferences beyond resuscitation (Correct answer)
- Requires annual renewal to remain legally valid
- Can be completed without a physician's signature
Correct answer: Covers a broader range of treatment preferences beyond resuscitation
POLST is a medical order that addresses multiple interventions (CPR, artificial nutrition, hospitalization) beyond just resuscitation.
Question 5: A nurse performing CPR on a patient discovers a valid DNR bracelet mid-resuscitation. The correct action is to:
- Continue CPR until the full cycle is complete
- Stop resuscitation efforts immediately (Correct answer)
- Contact the attending physician before stopping
- Document the DNR but continue until a supervisor confirms
Correct answer: Stop resuscitation efforts immediately
A valid DNR order is a legally binding physician's order; resuscitation must stop once it is identified.
Question 6: Which ethical principle is MOST directly upheld when a BLS provider honors a patient's valid advance directive refusing CPR?
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Autonomy (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Autonomy
Autonomy is the patient's right to make their own medical decisions, including refusing treatment through an advance directive.
Question 7: In most U.S. states, Good Samaritan laws are LEAST likely to protect a rescuer who:
- Performs chest compressions incorrectly due to lack of training
- Fails to check for a pulse before starting CPR
- Acts with gross negligence or willful misconduct (Correct answer)
- Uses an AED without completing a formal course
Correct answer: Acts with gross negligence or willful misconduct
Good Samaritan protections cover honest mistakes but not gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional harm.
BLS Legal & Ethical Considerations 2
A bystander witnesses a cardiac arrest in a public park.
Under Good Samaritan laws, which action would most likely REMOVE legal protection?