NCLEX Questions-Ethical and Legal Issues

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NCLEX Questions-Ethical and Legal Issues 1. The nurse hears a client calling out for help, hurries down the hallway to the client's room, and finds the client lying on the floor. The nurse performs... an assessment, assists the client back to bed, notifies the health care provider of the incident, and completes an incident report. Which statement should the nurse document on the incident report? a. The client fell out of bed b. The client climbed over the side rails c. The client was found lying on the floor d. The client became restless and tried to get out of bed. - ✔✔1. C- The incident report should contain the client's name, age, and diagnosis. The report should contain a factual description of the incident, any injuries experienced by those involved, and the outcome of the situation. The correct option is the only one that describes the facts as observed by the nurse. Options 1, 2, and 4 are interpretations of the situation and are not factual information as observed by the nurse. 2. A client is brought to the emergency department by emergency medical services (EMS) after being hit by a car. The name of the client is unknown, and the client has sustained a severe head injury and multiple fractures and is unconscious. An emergency craniotomy is required. Regarding informed consent for the surgical procedure, which is the best action? a. Obtain a court order for the surgical procedure b. Ask the EMS team to sign the informed consent c. Transport the victim to the operating room for surgery d. Call the police to identify the client and locate the family. - ✔✔2. C- In general, there are two situations in which informed consent of an adult client is not needed. One is when an emergency is present and delaying treatment for the purpose of obtaining informed consent would result in injury or death to the client. The second is when the client waives the right to give informed consent. Option 1 will delay emergency treatment, and option 2 is inappropriate. Although option 4 may be pursued, it is not the best action 3. The nurse has just assisted a client back to bed after a fall. The nurse and health care provider have assessed the client and have determined that the client is not injured. After completing the incident report, the nurse should implement which action net? a. Reassess the client b. Conduct a staff meeting to describe the fall c. Document in the nurse's notes that an incident report was completed. d. Contact the nursing supervisor to update information regarding the fall - ✔✔3. A- After a client's fall, the nurse must frequently reassess the client because potential complications do not always appear immediately after the fall. The client's fall should be treated as private information and shared on a "need to know" basis. Communication regarding the event should involve only the individuals participating in the client's care. An incident report is a problem-solving document; however, its completion is not documented in the nurse's notes. If the nursing supervisor has been made aware of the incident, the supervisor will contact the nurse if status update is necessary. 4. The nurse arrives at work and is told to report (float) to the intensive care unit (ICU) for the day because the ICU is understaffed and needs additional nurses to care for the clients. The nurse has never worked in the ICU. The nurse should take which action first? a. Call the hospital lawyer b. Refuse to float to the ICU c. Call the nursing supervisor d. Identify tasks that can be performed safely in the ICU - ✔✔4. D- Floating is an acceptable legal practice used by hospitals to solve understaffing problems. Legally, the nurse cannot refuse to float unless a union contract guarantees that nurses can work only in a specified area or the nurse can prove the lack of knowledge for the performance of assigned tasks. When encountering this situation, the nurse should set priorities and identify potential areas of harm to the client. The nursing supervisor is called if the nurse is expected to perform tasks that he or she cannot safely perform. Calling the hospital lawyer is a premature action. 5. The nurse who works on the night shift enters the medication room and finds a co-worker with a tourniquet wrapped around the upper arm. The co-worker is about to insert a needle, attached to a syringe containing clear liquid, in the antecubital area. Which is the most appropriate action by the nurse? a. Call security b. Call the police c. Call the nursing supervisor d. Lock the co-worker in the medication room until help is obtain - ✔✔5. C- Nurse practice acts require reporting impaired nurses. The board of nursing has jurisdiction over the practice of nursing and may develop plans for treatment and supervision of the impaired nurse. This incident needs to be reported to the nursing supervisor, who will then report to the board of nursing and other authorities, such as the police, as required. The nurse may call security if a disturbance occurs, but no information in the question supports this need, and so this is not the appropriate action. Option 4 is an inappropriate and unsafe action. 6. A hospitalized client tells the nurse that a living will is being prepared and that the lawyer will be bringing the will to the hospital today for witness signatures. The client asks the nurse for assistance obtaining a witness to the will. Which is the most appropriate response to the client? a. "I will sign as a witness to your signature." b. "You will need to find a witness on your own.' c. "Whoever is available at the time will sign as a witness for you." d. "I will call the nursing supervisor to seek assistance regarding your request." - ✔✔6. DLiving wills, also known as natural death acts in some states, are required to be in writing and signed by the client. The client's signature must be witnessed by specified individuals or notarized. Laws and guidelines regarding living wills vary from state to state, and it is the responsibility of the nurse to know the laws. Many states prohibit any employee, including the nurse of a facility where the client is receiving care, from being a witness. Option 2 is nontherapeutic and not a helpful response. The nurse should seek the assistance of the nursing supervisor. 7. The nurse has made an error in a narrative documentation of an assessment finding on a client and obtains the client's record to correct the error. The nurse should take which action to correct the error? a. Documenting a late entry into the client's record b. Trying to erase the error for space to write in the correct data c. Using whiteout to delete the error to write in the correct data d. Drawing one line through the error, initialing and dating, and then documenting the correct information. - ✔✔7. D- If the nurse makes an error in narrative documentation in the client's record, the nurse should follow agency policies to correct the error. This includes drawing one line through the error, initializing and dating the line, and then documenting the correct information. A late entry is used to document additional information not remembered at the initial time of documentation. Erasing data from the client's record and the use of whiteout are prohibited 8. Which identifies accurate nursing documentation notations? Select all that apply a. The client slept through the night b. Abdominal wound dressing is dry and intact without drainage c. The client seemed angry when awakened for vital sign m [Show More]

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