CFN Legal & Ethical Responsibilities in Forensic Nursing 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A forensic nurse receives a call from a journalist investigating a high-profile assault case asking for patient details. The nurse should:
- Provide de-identified statistics only
- Decline to confirm or deny patient information and refer to the facility's media spokesperson (Correct answer)
- Confirm the patient's admission status only
- Consult the patient's family before responding
Correct answer: Decline to confirm or deny patient information and refer to the facility's media spokesperson
HIPAA prohibits disclosing any patient information to media; all inquiries should be directed to designated institutional spokespersons.
Question 2: Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), sexual assault victims are entitled to:
- Free legal representation in criminal proceedings
- A forensic examination regardless of whether they report to law enforcement (Correct answer)
- Immediate relocation assistance
- Guaranteed prosecution of the perpetrator
Correct answer: A forensic examination regardless of whether they report to law enforcement
VAWA ensures that sexual assault victims can receive forensic medical examinations without requiring a police report as a condition.
Question 3: A forensic nurse is treating a patient who is also a crime suspect. The nurse's primary obligation is to:
- Assist law enforcement in obtaining incriminating information
- Provide the same standard of care owed to any patient, maintaining professional boundaries (Correct answer)
- Limit care to what is legally required for evidence preservation
- Prioritize victim needs over the suspect's care
Correct answer: Provide the same standard of care owed to any patient, maintaining professional boundaries
All patients, including crime suspects, are entitled to the same professional standard of nursing care regardless of their legal status.
Question 4: Which document formally authorizes a forensic nurse to collect biological samples from a patient for evidentiary purposes?
- A physician's verbal order
- Written informed consent from the patient or legal guardian (Correct answer)
- A police report number
- Hospital admission paperwork
Correct answer: Written informed consent from the patient or legal guardian
Written informed consent is required before collecting biological evidence, as it authorizes an invasive procedure with legal implications.
Question 5: A forensic nurse is testifying as a fact witness rather than an expert witness. This means she may testify about:
- General standards of forensic nursing practice
- Only what she personally observed, documented, and did during care (Correct answer)
- Probable causes of injuries based on her training
- Comparisons between this case and similar cases
Correct answer: Only what she personally observed, documented, and did during care
A fact witness is limited to direct personal observations and actions, unlike an expert witness who may offer opinions.
Question 6: Photographing injuries of a forensic patient without documented consent violates which patient right?
- The right to refuse treatment
- The right to privacy and informed consent (Correct answer)
- The right to legal counsel
- The right to a second opinion
Correct answer: The right to privacy and informed consent
Photographing a patient without consent violates their right to privacy and the foundational requirement for informed consent before procedures.
Question 7: When a forensic nurse identifies signs of elder abuse in a nursing home patient, mandatory reporting obligations require notification to:
- Only the patient's physician
- Adult protective services and, depending on state law, law enforcement (Correct answer)
- The nursing home administrator exclusively
- The patient's designated healthcare proxy only
Correct answer: Adult protective services and, depending on state law, law enforcement
Elder abuse mandates reporting to Adult Protective Services and often law enforcement, as defined by each state's mandatory reporting statute.
CFN Legal & Ethical Responsibilities in Forensic Nursing 4
A forensic nurse receives a call from a journalist investigating a high-profile assault case asking for patient details.
The nurse should: