A client was extremely upset about her prognosis. The nurse looked the client directly in the eye while holding her hand and reassured her by saying, You're going to be alright.
You can get through this. The client's husband was also present when the nurse reassured his wife. When the wife died, the husband sued the nurse for breach of contract. On what basis can the husband win his case?
A. The nurse should have avoided reassurance, because the client took the reassurance as a promise of the outcome.
B. The nurse should have given better care to help ensure that the wife survived her treatment.
C. The nurse should have read the wife's medical record to determine her prognosis before reassuring her.
D. The nurse should have reassured the wife only when they were alone, without the husband knowing what was said.
Question 2
A registered nurse was assigned a home care client whose condition was constantly worsening but, because of overwhelming work issues, the RN asked a licensed practical nurse
to care for the client for just 1 day. When the LPN made an error that harmed the client, the client sued the LPN and also the RN. Can the RN (who did not make the error responsible for the harm to the client) be sued successfully for the error of the LPN?
A. As the supervisor responsible for delegating the care, the RN is also responsible.
B. The attorney is just hoping the RN will pay the client to drop the case, since the RN cannot be successfully sued for an error made by someone else.
C. The RN cannot be sued for someone else's error; the attorney is just trying to get the agency to pay up.
D. Under respondeat superior, the RN is responsible for everything any staff member does at any time.