BLS Legal & Ethical Considerations 5

Question 1

A healthcare provider fails to initiate CPR on a patient with a treatable cardiac arrest and the patient dies. This could constitute:

Accepted Answer

Negligence by omission

Answer

Negligence by omission occurs when a provider fails to perform a duty of care that a reasonably prudent provider would have performed.

Question 2

Which scenario represents 'battery' in a BLS context?

Accepted Answer

Performing CPR on a patient who has a valid DNR and competently refused resuscitation

Answer

Battery is intentional, unconsented touching; performing CPR on a patient with a valid DNR constitutes battery.

Question 3

What is the primary purpose of documentation after a BLS intervention in a professional healthcare setting?

Accepted Answer

To provide a legal and clinical record of the care delivered

Answer

Accurate documentation creates a legal record, supports continuity of care, and demonstrates adherence to the standard of care.

Question 4

A first responder arrives to find bystanders performing CPR on a patient who has a valid DNR order in hand. The first responder should:

Accepted Answer

Confirm the DNR is valid, then discontinue CPR

Answer

A valid DNR order legally supersedes bystander CPR; the licensed provider must verify the document and stop resuscitation.

Question 5

Which factor would most likely establish that a BLS rescuer met the 'standard of care'?

Accepted Answer

The rescuer followed current AHA BLS guidelines

Answer

The standard of care is defined by what a similarly trained rescuer would do; following current guidelines establishes this benchmark.

BLS - Basic Life Support Practice Test