Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing
GINNY GUIDO
7th Edition, Kindle Edition
, Table of contents Part
1: Introduction to the Law and the Judicial Process Chapter
1: Legal Concepts and the Judicial Process Chapter 2: Anatomy
of a Lawsuit
Part 2: Ethics
Chapter 3: Introduction to Ethics
Chapter 4: Application of Ethics in Nursing Practice Settings
Part 3: Liability Issues Chapter
5: Standards of Care Chapter 6:
Tort Law
Chapter 7: Nursing Liability: Defenses
Chapter 8: Informed Consent and Patient Self-Determination Chapter
9: Documentation and Confidentiality
Chapter 10: Professional Liability Insurance
Part 4: Impact of the Law on the Professional Practice of Nursing Chapter
11: Nurse Practice Acts, Licensure, and the Scope of Practice Chapter 12:
Advanced Nursing Practice Roles
Chapter 13: Corporate Liability Issues and Employment Laws
Chapter 14: Federal Laws: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Civil
Rights Act of 1991
Chapter 15: Nursing Management and the Nurse-Managers
Chapter 16: Delegation and Supervision
Part 5: Impact of the Law on Nursing in Selected Practice Settings
Chapter 17: Nursing in Acute Care Settings
Chapter 18: Nursing in Ambulatory and Managed Care Settings
Chapter 19: Public and Community Health Care
Chapter 20: Nursing in Long-Term Care Settings
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, Chapter 01: Legal Concepts and the Judicial Process
Question 1 Type: MCSA
A nurse would like to advocate for a modification of the state’s nursing practice act and believes the best
strategy is to contact the persons with authority to write and change this statutory law. Whom should the nurse
contact?
1. State board of nursing
2. State governor
3. State legislature
4. State nursing association
Correct Answer: 3
Rationale 1: State boards of nursing are involved in the implementation and enforcement of the nurse practice act
but not charged with writing the law.
Rationale 2: Governors may appoint members of those on the state board of nursing, but are not involved in writing
nursing practice acts.
Rationale 3: State legislative bodies create and pass the individual nursing practice acts (statutory laws) and create
state boards of nursing or state boards of nurse examiners (state administrative agencies) to implement and
enforce those acts.
Rationale 4: State nursing associations may promote or seek to change nurse practice acts, but they cannot do so
independently.
Global Rationale:
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Safe Effective Care Environment Client
Need Sub: Management of Care
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, Nursing/Integrated Concepts: Nursing Process: Implementation
Learning Outcome: 1.1 Define the term law and describe four sources from which law is derived, including
constitutional, statutory, administrative, and judicial (decisional) law.
Question 2 Type: MCSA
A patient brought suit against a hospital for injuries sustained in a fall. The case went to trial and the jury found
for the hospital. Can the patient take this same suit and evidence to another trial court in hopes of a different
decision?
1. No, because of the doctrine of res judicata
2. Yes, stare decisis allows retrial
3. Yes, because of the doctrine of precedent
4. No, this is a landmark decision
Correct Answer: 1
Rationale 1: Res judicata means “a thing or matter settled by judgment” and applies when a legal dispute has
been decided by a competent court of jurisdiction. This doctrine prevents the same parties in the original lawsuit
from retrying the same issues involved in the first lawsuit.
Rationale 2: Stare decisis means to “let the decision stand” and is applied by courts of law in cases with
similar fact patterns that have been previously decided by the court system.
Rationale 3: The doctrine of precedent means to “let the decision stand” and is applied by courts of law in cases
with similar fact patterns that have been previously decided by the court system. Landmark decisions signify that
precedent is changed by the current court decision.
Rationale 4: Landmark decisions signify that precedent is changed by the current court decision. Global
Rationale:
Cognitive Level: Analyzing
Client Need: Safe Effective Care Environment Client
Need Sub: Management of Care
Nursing/Integrated Concepts: Nursing Process: Assessment
Learning Outcome: 1.2 Compare and contrast the doctrines of precedent (stare decisis) and res judicata.
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