ATI LPN
Foundations and Adult Health Nursing Test Bank
Chapter 2 : Legal and Ethical Aspects of Nursing Questions
Question 1 of 5
A nurse is considering purchasing malpractice insurance. What should the nurse be aware of regarding malpractice insurance provided by the hospital?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Most institutional insurance only provides liability coverage if the nurse is on duty at that facility.
Question 2 of 5
Which is a nursing care error that violates the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Leaving the document in the photocopier could expose it to the public. Inappropriate drug administration is possible malpractice. Sharing information with the power of attorney is legal. Refusing to give a patient's daughter information over the phone is appropriate practice.
Question 3 of 5
Which of the following could cause a nurse to be cited for malpractice?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Standards of care dictate that a nurse must be aware of all the properties of drugs administered. Prochlorperazine (Compazine) is a phenothiazine. Providing confidential information or refusing to give an excessively large narcotic dose is not considered malpractice. Good Samaritan laws generally protect a person giving aid to an injured motorist.
Question 4 of 5
A lumbar puncture was performed on a patient without a signed informed consent form. This patient might sue for:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Civil battery charges can be brought against someone performing an invasive procedure without the patient's informed consent legally documented. This patient could not sue for punitive damages or an assault.
Question 5 of 5
A health care provider instructs the nurse to bladder train a patient. The nurse clamps the patient's indwelling urinary catheter but forgets to unclamp it. The patient develops a urinary tract infection. What do the nurse's actions exemplify?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A nurse is liable for acts of commission (doing an act) and omission (not doing an act) performed in the course of their professional duty. A charge of malpractice is likely when a duty exists, there is a breach of that duty, and harm has occurred to the patient.