Pediatric Nurse Professional and Legal Issues Flashcards
7 cards from real Pediatric Nurse Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Pediatric Nurse Professional and Legal Issues flashcards as text
A nurse witnesses a physician perform a procedure on a child without first obtaining informed consent. What should the nurse do first?
Answer: Immediately report the incident to the supervisor or risk management
Performing procedures without informed consent is a legal violation that must be reported to the appropriate authority to protect the patient and institution.
Which element is NOT required for valid informed consent in pediatric care?
Answer: Agreement from both biological parents in all circumstances
Informed consent requires disclosure, comprehension, and voluntary agreement; consent from both parents is not always legally required, especially when one parent has sole custody.
A nurse in a pediatric clinic suspects a child is being physically abused. The parents deny any abuse. What is the nurse's legal obligation?
Answer: Report the suspicion to child protective services immediately
Nurses are mandated reporters and are legally required to report reasonable suspicion of child abuse to child protective services without delay.
A 17-year-old who is legally emancipated is admitted for appendicitis. Who provides consent for surgery?
Answer: The patient himself
An emancipated minor has full legal authority to make their own medical decisions, including consenting to surgery.
Which action by a pediatric nurse constitutes negligence?
Answer: Failing to apply a prescribed topical cream, resulting in a skin infection
Failing to perform a prescribed treatment that results in patient harm meets the legal definition of negligence: duty, breach, causation, and damages.
A nurse documents care that was never provided to save time during a busy shift. This constitutes:
Answer: Fraud and a violation of professional standards
Documenting care that was not rendered is considered fraudulent charting and violates professional, legal, and ethical nursing standards.
What is the purpose of a Good Samaritan law in the context of nursing?
Answer: Protects nurses from liability when providing voluntary emergency care outside their workplace
Good Samaritan laws protect healthcare providers, including nurses, from civil liability when they voluntarily render emergency care in good faith outside their normal work setting.
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