04 Safety, Ethics, and Legal Practice Free Online FlashCards

What are a nurse’s core safety and accountability duties?

Provide care within your education, competence, and authorized scope; identify changing risks, communicate concerns promptly, and document care accurately.

What should a nurse do when an assignment seems unsafe or outside their scope?

Seek clarification and use the appropriate chain of communication when an assignment or requested action seems unsafe or outside your scope.

What does autonomy mean in nursing ethics?

Autonomy means respecting a person’s right to make informed choices.

How should decision-making capacity be considered in behavioral health?

Assess capacity for the specific decision and current circumstances. A diagnosis, crisis, or unusual belief alone does not establish incapacity.

Can providers generally share protected health information for treatment under HIPAA?

Under HIPAA, protected health information may generally be shared among providers for treatment without the patient’s separate authorization.

What makes consent informed and voluntary?

Informed consent generally requires relevant information, understanding, voluntariness, and decision-making capacity. Discuss the intervention’s purpose, benefits, material risks, alternatives, and the option to decline.

How should a nurse respond when a patient refuses treatment?

Respond without coercion: explore the patient’s concerns and understanding, provide clear information within your role, notify the responsible clinician, and document the discussion, decision, and follow-up.

What does shared decision-making combine?

Shared decision-making combines clinical evidence and professional expertise with the patient’s goals, values, preferences, and circumstances.

How should a nurse respond when immediate danger is suspected?

When immediate danger is suspected, follow emergency procedures, communicate clearly with the team, and use the least restrictive safe response consistent with law and policy.

What do beneficence and nonmaleficence require?

Beneficence means promoting well-being; nonmaleficence means reducing preventable harm.

What does justice require in nursing care?

Justice means providing fair, nondiscriminatory care.

What do fidelity and veracity mean?

Fidelity means keeping professional commitments; veracity means communicating honestly.