Editing Management of Care – RN Flashcards (section)

== Legal and Ethical ==

;Name the four elements required to prove malpractice
:Duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages. All four must be present; if any element fails, the claim fails.

;Distinguish negligence from malpractice
:Negligence is failure to act as a reasonably prudent person would in similar circumstances and can be committed by anyone. Malpractice is professional negligence, measured against the standard of a reasonably prudent nurse with similar education and experience.

;Distinguish assault from battery
:Assault is a threat that creates a reasonable fear of harmful contact, with no touching required. Battery is the actual harmful or offensive contact without consent, such as treating over a refusal.

;State the restraint order rules tested on licensure examinations
:A time-limited provider order is required, as-needed orders are prohibited, a face-to-face evaluation is required within 1 hour for violent or self-destructive behavior, and renewal intervals are 4 hours for adults 18 and older, 2 hours for ages 9 through 17, and 1 hour for children under 9.

;How is a restraint applied safely
:Use the least restrictive effective device, secure it to the movable portion of the bed frame and never to a side rail, use a quick-release knot, monitor circulation and skin, and release periodically for range of motion, toileting, and fluids.

;How is a charting error corrected, and what is the rule about incident reports
:Correct an error by drawing a single line through the entry so it remains readable, labeling it as an error, and adding the date, time, and initials; never erase, use correction fluid, or delete. The clinical event, the client's condition, and the treatment given are documented in the record, but the fact that an incident report was completed is not, and the report itself is not filed in the chart.

;What should a nurse do with an order believed to be unsafe, and what is the chain of command
:Do not carry it out; clarify directly with the prescriber and escalate if unresolved. The nursing chain runs from assistive personnel to LPN to RN to charge nurse to nurse manager to house supervisor to chief nursing officer, with risk management and the ethics committee as parallel resources.

;Define the six core ethical principles
:Autonomy is self-determination, beneficence is doing good, nonmaleficence is avoiding harm, justice is fairness in distribution, fidelity is keeping commitments, and veracity is truthfulness.

[[Category:Management of Care]]
[[Category:Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN)]]
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