ATI LPN
Timby's Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Thirteenth, North American Edition
Chapter 5 : Legal and Ethical Issues Questions
Question 1 of 5
Which type of law concerns offenses that violate the public's welfare?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Criminal law concerns offenses that violate the public's welfare. Statutory law is law that any local, state, or federal legislative body enacts. Common is based on earlier court decisions, judgment, and decrees. Administrative law means that regulatory agencies enforce the rules and regulations that concern health, welfare, and safety of federal and state citizens.
Question 2 of 5
Allowing unauthorized people to observe a client during treatment is an example of which of the following?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The right to privacy means that people have the right to expect that they and their property will be left alone. False imprisonment occurs when healthcare workers physically or chemically restrain a person from leaving a healthcare institution. Battery is actual physical contact with another person without that person's consent. Assault is an act that involves a threat or attempt to do bodily harm.
Question 3 of 5
Which of the following is a true statement about a living will?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A living will states the client's wishes regarding healthcare if terminally ill. It does not specify information regarding nontreatment only, it is not a legal consent, and it is not a type of financial agreement.
Question 4 of 5
The nurse understands that laws and ethics are made in order to maintain order and harmony within society. What is the difference between laws and ethics?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Laws are written rules for conduct and actions and ensure the protection of rights, and ethics are moral principles and values that guide the behavior of honorable people. Ethical standards dictate the rightness or wrongness of human behavior. The other answers do not address this as clearly.
Question 5 of 5
The nursing student asks the instructor why it is important for them to know about the law and ethics when they will be taking care of client's physical and psychosocial needs and not be practicing law. What is the best response by the instructor?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The healthcare delivery system affects and is affected by societal beliefs, values, and laws. Nurses today require a basic understanding of laws and ethics that may affect their practice. Issues related to competence, safety, and optimal care; protecting client's rights; and practicing according to professional standards of care are of most concern to nurses. Being sued is not the only issue that a nurse may face in their practice and does not cover the ethical portion of practice. The answer regarding the curriculum does not answer the question and demeans the importance of the topic.