An obstetrical nurse comes across an automobile accident. The ...

[gonzo233]

An obstetrical nurse comes across an automobile accident.
 
  The patient seems to have a crushed upper airway, and while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive, the nurse makes a cut in the trachea and inserts a straw from her purse to provide an airway. The patient survives and has a permanent problem with his vocal cords, making it difficult to talk. Which statement is true regarding the nurse's performance?
  a. The nurse acted appropriately and saved the patient's life.
  b. The nurse acted within the guidelines of the Good Samaritan Law.
  c. The nurse took actions beyond those that are standard and appropriate.
  d. The nurse should have just stayed with the patient and waited for help.

Question 2

A 17-year-old patient, dying of heart failure, wants to have his organs removed for transplantation after his death. What action by the nurse is correct?
 
  a. Prepare the organ donation form for the patient to sign while he is still oriented.
  b. Instruct the patient to talk with his parents about his desire to donate his organs.
  c. Notify the physician about the patient's desire to donate his organs.
  d. Contact the United Network for Organ Sharing after talking with the patient.

[kilada]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: C
An obstetric nurse would not have been trained in performing a tracheostomy or a cricotomy, and doing so would be beyond what she has been trained or educated to do. The nurse did not do what another nurse would have done in the same situation. The nurse is not protected by the Good Samaritan Law because she acted outside of her scope of practice and training. The nurse should have acted within what she was trained and educated to do in this circumstance, not just stay with the patient.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
An individual over age 18 may sign the form allowing organ donation upon death. In this situation, the parents would need to sign the form because the teenager is under age 18. The nurse cannot allow the patient to sign the organ donation document because he is younger than age 18. The physician will be notified about the patient's wishes after the parents agree to donate the organs. The nurse caring for the patient does not contact the United Network for Organ Sharing. A transplant coordinator will be the liaison for this organization.