Author Question: Which of the following statements best reflects a nurse's understanding of the proper critical ... (Read 81 times)

mydiamond · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

Which of the following statements best reflects a nurse's understanding of the proper critical thinking process regarding the need for personal malpractice insurance?

1. The state's Good Samaritan laws protect me outside of the hospital.
2. I work in a very low risk area of nursing, so I don't really have a need.
3. The hospital carries its own malpractice insurance, so I don't need extra.
4. Lawsuits can occur years after the event, so I carry my own liability insurance.

Question 2

Which of the following statements made by a nurse reflects the best understanding of the legal safeguards of a DNR (do not resuscitate) order?

1. All family members need to agree before a DNR order can be written.
2. All terminally ill clients are ultimately required to be declared a DNR status.
3. The DNR order on the terminally ill client in Room 45 needs reviewed today.
4. If the client's family can't be located, the physician will write the DNR order.

duy1981999 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: 4
The employing institution's insurance only covers nurses while they are working within the scope of their employment. Because nurses are professionals and it is often difficult to separate their private lives from their professional skills, nurses need to consider purchasing individual profes-sional liability insurance, even if the employing institution has coverage. It would be important to know the time frames of the employer's malpractice coverage. The nurse may be only covered during the times he or she is working within the institution. Good Samaritan laws have a narrow scope and would not cover many nursing activities. Although it is true that some areas of nursing have a higher potential for liability claims, all areas have risk. The hospital's insurance may not cover all potential expenses and may not be applicable in all liability situations.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: 3
DNR orders are not necessarily maintained throughout the client's stay because a client's condi-tion may warrant a change in DNR status. To ensure client safety, the attending physician must review the DNR orders every 3 days for hospitalized clients or every 60 days for clients in resi-dential health facilities. If there is no living will or durable power of attorney appointed, members of the family will be consulted regarding a DNR order. Although not all family members need to agree, an order will usually not be written if some family members express strong opposition to the status change. If no family can be located, the attending physician has the legal right to write the order. There is no legal requirement for a terminally ill client to be required to assume DNR status.