NURS 200 FINAL EXAM Questions with Answers (100%
Correct Answers)
Types of law that govern nursing practice: —Answer: constitutional law
statutory law,
common law
administrative law
case law.
Constitutional Law —Answer: derived from federal and state constitutions.
Statutory law —Answer: derived from statutes passed by the US Congress and state
legislatures. Laws are either civil or criminal.
Civil law —Answer: protect the rights of individuals and provide for fair and equitable
treatment when civil wrongs or violations occur.
Nurse Practice Acts —Answer: civil state laws that define nursing and the standards you must
meet within individual states, states that you have a duty to care for your patients
laws intended to protect citizens, make nurses accountable, and ensure that care is consistent
with best practice within the scope and standards of nursing; creation of state board of nursing
or nursing commission.
Criminal laws —Answer: protect society and provide punishment for crimes, which are
defined by municipal, state, and federal legislation
Administrative law(regulatory law) —Answer: more clearly defines expectations of civil and
criminal laws. State that duty to take care of patients means will observe, assess, diagnose, plan,
intervene, and evaluate patient care; also the process to report incompetent or unethical nursing
conduct to SBN.
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,Common law(implied laws) —Answer: originates from decisions that were made in the
absence of law.
Case law —Answer: describes decisions made in legal cases that were resolved in courts
Scope of nursing practice —Answer: defines nursing and reflects the values of the nursing
profession
Standard of nursing care —Answer: reflect the knowledge and skills ordinarily possessed and
used by nurses; derived from health care laws, best practice guidelines, professional
organization white papers, evidence-based nursing knowledge, and citizen advocacy groups.
Standard of proof —Answer: what a reasonably prudent nurse would do under similar
circumstances in the geographic area in which the alleged breach occurred.
Malpractice: —Answer: result of nursing care falling below standards of care. Must include:
nurse assuming duty of care, duty was breached, physical harm occurred, and
damage/monetary compensation allowed.
Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1987 —Answer: mandated that skilled nursing facility residents
are given rights; greater focus on elderly care, addressed use of restraints & established
definition, last resort & require orders needs hourly assessment & close monitoring
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, now knows as just ACA: characterized by four
themes embedded in nursing practice: —Answer: 1. Consumer rights and protection
2. Affordable healthcare coverage
3. Increased access to care
4. Quality of care that meets the needs of patients
ACA intended to reduce overall medical costs by: —Answer: 1. Providing tax credits
2. Increasing insurance company accountability for premiums and rate increases
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3. Increasing the number of choices available to patients to select insurers that best meet their
needs.
ACA intended to: —Answer: -Reduce costs
-Increase insurance company accountability
-Increase choice in insurance companies
Unintended consequences of ACA: —Answer: -High cost of medical insurance/no access
unless employed
-Ineligibility for financial assistance for coverage
-Some states chose not to expand Medicaid coverage
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA): —Answer: Prohibits the
transfer of patients from private to public hospitals without appropriate screening and
stabilization; prevented patient dumping. Pt must be stabilized before transfer or discharge.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): —Answer: -Provides rights to
patients and protects employees
-establishes patient rights regarding privacy of their health care information and records.
-Established patient's right to consent to the use and disclosure of protected health information,
to inspect and copy one's medical record, to amend mistaken or incomplete information; limits
who can access patient's records.
Privacy: —Answer: the rights of patients to keep personal information from being disclosed.
Confidentiality: —Answer: protects private patient information once it is disclosed in health
care settings.
Health Information Technology Act (HITECH): —Answer: expands principles extended under
HIPAA, especially when a security breach of personal health information (PHI) occurs.
© 2025 All rights reserved
Correct Answers)
Types of law that govern nursing practice: —Answer: constitutional law
statutory law,
common law
administrative law
case law.
Constitutional Law —Answer: derived from federal and state constitutions.
Statutory law —Answer: derived from statutes passed by the US Congress and state
legislatures. Laws are either civil or criminal.
Civil law —Answer: protect the rights of individuals and provide for fair and equitable
treatment when civil wrongs or violations occur.
Nurse Practice Acts —Answer: civil state laws that define nursing and the standards you must
meet within individual states, states that you have a duty to care for your patients
laws intended to protect citizens, make nurses accountable, and ensure that care is consistent
with best practice within the scope and standards of nursing; creation of state board of nursing
or nursing commission.
Criminal laws —Answer: protect society and provide punishment for crimes, which are
defined by municipal, state, and federal legislation
Administrative law(regulatory law) —Answer: more clearly defines expectations of civil and
criminal laws. State that duty to take care of patients means will observe, assess, diagnose, plan,
intervene, and evaluate patient care; also the process to report incompetent or unethical nursing
conduct to SBN.
© 2025 All rights reserved
,Common law(implied laws) —Answer: originates from decisions that were made in the
absence of law.
Case law —Answer: describes decisions made in legal cases that were resolved in courts
Scope of nursing practice —Answer: defines nursing and reflects the values of the nursing
profession
Standard of nursing care —Answer: reflect the knowledge and skills ordinarily possessed and
used by nurses; derived from health care laws, best practice guidelines, professional
organization white papers, evidence-based nursing knowledge, and citizen advocacy groups.
Standard of proof —Answer: what a reasonably prudent nurse would do under similar
circumstances in the geographic area in which the alleged breach occurred.
Malpractice: —Answer: result of nursing care falling below standards of care. Must include:
nurse assuming duty of care, duty was breached, physical harm occurred, and
damage/monetary compensation allowed.
Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1987 —Answer: mandated that skilled nursing facility residents
are given rights; greater focus on elderly care, addressed use of restraints & established
definition, last resort & require orders needs hourly assessment & close monitoring
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, now knows as just ACA: characterized by four
themes embedded in nursing practice: —Answer: 1. Consumer rights and protection
2. Affordable healthcare coverage
3. Increased access to care
4. Quality of care that meets the needs of patients
ACA intended to reduce overall medical costs by: —Answer: 1. Providing tax credits
2. Increasing insurance company accountability for premiums and rate increases
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3. Increasing the number of choices available to patients to select insurers that best meet their
needs.
ACA intended to: —Answer: -Reduce costs
-Increase insurance company accountability
-Increase choice in insurance companies
Unintended consequences of ACA: —Answer: -High cost of medical insurance/no access
unless employed
-Ineligibility for financial assistance for coverage
-Some states chose not to expand Medicaid coverage
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA): —Answer: Prohibits the
transfer of patients from private to public hospitals without appropriate screening and
stabilization; prevented patient dumping. Pt must be stabilized before transfer or discharge.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): —Answer: -Provides rights to
patients and protects employees
-establishes patient rights regarding privacy of their health care information and records.
-Established patient's right to consent to the use and disclosure of protected health information,
to inspect and copy one's medical record, to amend mistaken or incomplete information; limits
who can access patient's records.
Privacy: —Answer: the rights of patients to keep personal information from being disclosed.
Confidentiality: —Answer: protects private patient information once it is disclosed in health
care settings.
Health Information Technology Act (HITECH): —Answer: expands principles extended under
HIPAA, especially when a security breach of personal health information (PHI) occurs.
© 2025 All rights reserved
