Professional ethics
Are published formal statements indicating the professions expectations for its members
Values
Is related to your belief of something's worth & may differ from the values of others around you
Ethics
Made up of the values that influence your decisions and behavior
Ethical dilemma
Is a situation in which a decision must be made between two opposing alternatives when there is not an exact right or wrong answer.
Advocate
For a patient means to stand up for that which is in the patients best interest, as opposed to that which is in the best interest of the physician, hospital, or coworker
Empathy
Is the ability to intellectually or emotionally understand the feelings of another person without actually experiencing or even agreeing with their situation, thoughts, feelings, distress, or pain
Sympathy
Which is sharing the feeling and distress of the other individual
Negligence
a patient injury that occurs because the nurse fails to meet his or her responsibility to the patient, failure to provide certain care that another person of the same education & locale would generally provide under the same circumstances
Constitutional law
U. S Bill of Rights, which provides U. S citizens with 10 rights, one of which, the right to privacy
Nurse Practice Act (NPA)
Which provides the scope of nursing as designated by each state
Administrative laws
These agencies write and enforce rules & regulations dictating the boundaries within which nurses must practice
Case or judicial laws
Are written in response to specific legal questions brought before the courts
Precedents
Are set by which similar future cases will be judged
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
AKA Privacy Protector, implemented by regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1996
Abandonment of patient
To desert or forsake a patient in your charge; to leave a patient in your charge without appropriate nursing replacement; wrongful termination of care
Advance directive
A written statement indicating a patients wishes regarding future medical care in the event the patient becomes unable to voice his or her decisions; it may give consent for certain aspects of care as well as refusal of specific care
Appeal
To challenge the decision of a court to a higher court, where the decision will be either confirmed or reversed
Assault
To purposely threaten physical harm to an individual, or to show intent to touch him or her without permission
Battery
To touch an individual without consent, to intentionally cause a patient harm
Civil law
The individual or personal rights guaranteed by federal law, such as the Constitution & Bill of Rights, Protect an individual's personal rights, such as life, liberty, thinking, speaking, privacy, & most health care issues
Competency
The legal qualification to make one's own decisions
Consent
To give permission for, to agree to; the consent generally must be written
Controlled substances
Drugs regulated by law; drugs that have potential for abuse, such as narcotics
Criminal laws
Laws that protect the public or safety, Protect the public or society as a whole
Damages
Money awarded to a plaintiff upon proving injury by the defendant
Defendant
The one accused of breaking criminal or civil law
Durable medical power of attorney
Legal written designation making another person responsible for ones medical decision
Emancipated minor
Legal consideration of one younger than age 18 years as an adult because he or she lives alone & is self supporting, has joined the military, is married, or is a parent
Liability
One's responsibility for his or her own actions, such as acts of negligence
Libel
One's responsibility for his or her own actions, such as acts of negligence
Malpractice
Injury, loss, or damage to a patient because of failure to provide a reasonable standard of care or demonstrate a reasonable level of skill, when the nurse's action fail to meet professional standards of care and injures a patient
Plaintiff
The one accusing another of criminal or civil law violation
Statute
A written law
Tort
A violation of a civil law; involves a wrong against an individual or his or her property
Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
new federal statue enacted in 2009, made significant changes to HIPPA, Implemented by regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1996, this federal law provides for confidential maintenance of protected patient health information
Breach notification
Requires health-care businesses to notify individuals in writing when the individual's private health information is known to have been breached
Center for Diease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Determines steps to take regarding treatment & contaimeny of illness, immunizations, & future research.
false imprisonment
intentionally preventing a patient from leaving a facility or restricting his or her movement within the facility
sexual harassment
harassment based on sex and is unwelcome, causing a hostile or offensive work environment a form of discrimination that violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Good Samaritan Law
Provides protection to the voluntary caregiver at sites of accidents and emergencies
abandonment
The premature cessation of the professional care nurse-patient relationship without adequate notice or the patient's permission
standards of care (standards of performance or clinical guidelines)
represent the level of skill and nursing care that another nurse in the same area of the country, with the same education level, would perform in the same situation
Informed consent
Is written permission to allow medical treatment or surgical procedures
Incident report
They are to be completed in the event of an unusual occurrence or an accident.
proxy directive
designates the individual legally responsible for making medical decisions when a person is unable
instructional directive
specifies aspects of care the person does or does not desire and the circumstances in which to apply these wishes