CPR Legal and Ethical Considerations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What legal principle protects a bystander who provides CPR in good faith from liability in most U.S. states?
- Good Samaritan laws (Correct answer)
- Duty of care doctrine
- Standard of practice rule
- Implied warranty
Correct answer: Good Samaritan laws
Good Samaritan laws shield lay rescuers who voluntarily and in good faith provide emergency aid from civil liability.
Question 2: An adult collapses in a public place and is unresponsive. Under what legal concept may you begin CPR without verbal permission?
- Implied consent (Correct answer)
- Expressed consent
- Informed consent
- Proxy consent
Correct answer: Implied consent
Implied consent assumes an unresponsive person would agree to lifesaving care if able to do so.
Question 3: A conscious adult with chest pain refuses your help. What is the correct ethical and legal action?
- Honor the refusal and call 911 to monitor (Correct answer)
- Begin CPR anyway
- Restrain the person and treat
- Ignore them and leave
Correct answer: Honor the refusal and call 911 to monitor
A competent adult has the right to refuse care, so you should respect the refusal while keeping EMS involved.
Question 4: What document directs rescuers NOT to perform CPR on a specific patient?
- A valid DNR order (Correct answer)
- A living trust
- A medical power form
- A consent waiver
Correct answer: A valid DNR order
A Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order is a physician's directive instructing that CPR not be attempted.
Question 5: Stopping CPR before EMS arrives, without a valid reason, may legally be considered what?
- Abandonment (Correct answer)
- Negligence per se
- Battery
- Breach of warranty
Correct answer: Abandonment
Once you begin care, leaving the patient without transferring to equal or higher care is abandonment.
Question 6: Touching or treating a competent, conscious person who has refused care could be legally classified as what?
- Battery (Correct answer)
- Abandonment
- Slander
- Malpractice
Correct answer: Battery
Treating someone against their will is battery, an unlawful touching of another person.
Question 7: Which factor would generally PREVENT Good Samaritan protections from applying?
- Gross negligence or willful misconduct (Correct answer)
- Performing CPR slightly imperfectly
- Acting without medical training
- Failing to revive the victim
Correct answer: Gross negligence or willful misconduct
Good Samaritan laws do not protect rescuers who act with gross negligence or intentional harm.
CPR Legal and Ethical Considerations 2
What legal principle protects a bystander who provides CPR in good faith from liability in most U.S. states?