Ethical and Legal Principles Flashcards
7 cards from real NACE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethical and Legal Principles flashcards as text
A nurse discovers a colleague has been accessing patient records of celebrities out of curiosity. What is the nurse's primary obligation under HIPAA?
Answer: Report the breach to the facility privacy officer
HIPAA requires healthcare organizations to investigate and report breaches; the nurse must notify the privacy officer who initiates the formal response process.
A competent adult patient refuses a blood transfusion on religious grounds despite a life-threatening hemorrhage. The nurse should:
Answer: Respect the refusal and document it, ensuring the patient understands the consequences
Competent adults have the right to refuse any treatment, including life-saving measures; the nurse must respect this autonomy and document the informed refusal.
Which legal doctrine holds hospitals responsible for the negligent acts of their employed nurses?
Answer: Respondeat superior
Respondeat superior ('let the master answer') holds employers vicariously liable for employees' negligent acts performed within the scope of employment.
A nurse administers the wrong medication and the patient suffers harm. Which element of negligence establishes the link between the action and the injury?
Answer: Causation
Causation (proximate cause) is the element that establishes the direct link between the nurse's breach of duty and the patient's resulting harm.
An older adult patient with mild dementia is being discharged. When obtaining consent for a home health referral, the nurse should:
Answer: Assess the patient's decision-making capacity for this specific decision
A dementia diagnosis does not automatically negate decision-making capacity; the nurse must assess capacity for each specific decision.
A nurse suspects a patient is experiencing elder abuse. Under mandatory reporting laws, the nurse must:
Answer: Report the suspicion to Adult Protective Services
Mandatory reporting laws require nurses to report suspected elder abuse to Adult Protective Services; confirmation is not required before reporting.
Which ethical principle is most directly applied when a nurse ensures a patient receives accurate information about all treatment alternatives?
Answer: Veracity
Veracity is the duty to tell the truth; ensuring patients receive accurate information about treatment alternatives directly reflects this principle.