Pediatric Nurse Exam Pediatric Nurse Professional and Legal Issues 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A parent refuses a blood transfusion for their critically ill child on religious grounds. What is the most appropriate nursing response?
- Respect the refusal without further action
- Administer the transfusion anyway to save the child
- Notify the physician and institution so legal intervention can be sought if needed (Correct answer)
- Discharge the child to avoid legal liability
Correct answer: Notify the physician and institution so legal intervention can be sought if needed
When parental refusal creates immediate risk to a child's life, the healthcare team must involve administration and may seek a court order to override the refusal.
Question 2: Which best describes the nurse's role in research involving pediatric patients?
- Nurses may enroll patients in studies without IRB approval in emergencies
- Nurses must ensure both parental consent and child assent (when appropriate) are obtained (Correct answer)
- Nurses are not responsible for informed consent in research settings
- Parental consent alone is always sufficient for pediatric research participation
Correct answer: Nurses must ensure both parental consent and child assent (when appropriate) are obtained
Federal regulations and ethical standards require both parental permission and the child's assent (for those capable) before enrolling a minor in research.
Question 3: A nurse overhears a colleague making derogatory comments about a pediatric patient's family. The most appropriate action is to:
- Ignore it to avoid conflict with the colleague
- Join the conversation to redirect it professionally
- Report the behavior to management per the professional conduct policy (Correct answer)
- Discuss the incident only with trusted coworkers
Correct answer: Report the behavior to management per the professional conduct policy
Derogatory remarks about patients violate professional standards and patient dignity; reporting to management is the appropriate response.
Question 4: A nurse is named in a malpractice lawsuit. Which document will be most critical to her defense?
- Her nursing school diploma
- Accurate and thorough nursing documentation from the time of care (Correct answer)
- Verbal testimony from coworkers
- The hospital's general policy manual
Correct answer: Accurate and thorough nursing documentation from the time of care
Contemporaneous, accurate nursing documentation is the strongest evidence of the care provided and is central to any malpractice defense.
Question 5: A nurse administers the correct medication but via the wrong route, causing patient harm. This is an example of:
- Assault
- Battery
- Medication error and potential negligence (Correct answer)
- Intentional tort
Correct answer: Medication error and potential negligence
Administering a medication via an incorrect route that results in harm constitutes a medication error and may meet the legal threshold for negligence.
Question 6: Which action best exemplifies the nurse's role as a child advocate in the inpatient setting?
- Following all physician orders without question
- Ensuring the child's voice and preferences are communicated to the care team (Correct answer)
- Limiting family visitation to reduce patient stimulation
- Deferring all ethical dilemmas to hospital administration
Correct answer: Ensuring the child's voice and preferences are communicated to the care team
Child advocacy involves amplifying the patient's voice, preferences, and needs within the healthcare team to ensure patient-centered care.
Question 7: A nurse receives a phone order for a medication. What is the safest documentation practice?
- Document the order after the medication is administered
- Write the order down, read it back to the prescriber, and document it immediately with a 'T.O.' or 'V.O.' notation (Correct answer)
- Have another nurse transcribe all phone orders
- Wait for the physician to enter the order in the EHR before documenting
Correct answer: Write the order down, read it back to the prescriber, and document it immediately with a 'T.O.' or 'V.O.' notation
Read-back verification of verbal or telephone orders and immediate documentation with appropriate notation is the standard safe practice to prevent errors.
Pediatric Nurse Exam Pediatric Nurse Professional and Legal Issues 4
A parent refuses a blood transfusion for their critically ill child on religious grounds.
What is the most appropriate nursing response?