Legal 26-50 Flashcards
While providing care to a seriously ill public official who is semiconscious, a media representative arrives at the scene and inquires about the patient’s condition. You should:
Choose one answer.
A. give the media representative the patient’s name and age only.
B. advise the media representative to obtain the information at the hospital.
C. tell the media representative that you cannot disclose any information.
D. obtain consent from the patient before releasing any personal information.
C
You have been attempting resuscitation of a middle-aged woman for approximately 15 minutes; however, she has not responded to any of your treatment. There is no evidence of hypothermia or drug ingestion, and the cardiac monitor shows asystole. You should:
Choose one answer.
A. determine if she has an advance directive.
B. consider terminating your resuscitative efforts.
C. perform CPR only and try to contact her family.
D. pronounce the patient dead and call the coroner.
B
Which of the following statements regarding ethics in the workplace is correct?
Choose one answer.
A. Acknowledging a patient’s cultural beliefs is a low priority if he or she is critically ill or injured.
B. Off-duty misconduct on the part of the paramedic may lessen the public’s confidence in EMS in general.
C. EMS has long been recognized and funded in the same manner as the other health care professions.
D. Paramedics are accountable only to the EMS system’s medical director and to the director of EMS operations.
B
Which of the following scenarios MOST accurately depicts abandonment?
Choose one answer.
A. A patient with a possible fracture of the radius wishes to go to the hospital, but does not have transportation, so you arrange for a friend to take him to the emergency department the next day.
B. While en route to the hospital with a patient experiencing chest pressure, you encounter a major motor vehicle accident, call the dispatcher to request assistance, and proceed to the hospital with your patient.
C. During a mass-casualty incident involving a building collapse, a paramedic triages a patient as being low priority and instructs an EMT to observe the patient and inform the paramedic if the patient’s condition deteriorates.
D. A mentally competent adult with shortness of breath adamantly refuses to be transported to the hospital via EMS, so you arrange for a friend or family member to stay with the patient and call 9-1-1 if it becomes necessary.
A
Provisions of the medical practice act include all of the following, EXCEPT:
Choose one answer.
A. assigning medical directors to EMS systems.
B. defining minimum qualifications of the paramedic.
C. establishing a means of certification for the paramedic.
D. defining the skills that the paramedic legally can perform.
A
You arrive at the scene of a motor-vehicle-versus-pedestrian accident. The patient is a 12-year-old girl who was struck by a car while riding her bike. She is conscious but combative. She has a large hematoma on her leg and several hematomas to her forehead. As a police officer attempts to contact the child’s parents, you should:
Choose one answer.
A. provide supportive care only but do not transport the child until the parents arrive and give consent.
B. closely monitor the child’s condition and begin emergency treatment after obtaining consent from both parents.
C. assume that her parents would consent to emergency treatment and initiate the appropriate care for the child.
D. withhold all emergency care until you have obtained consent from at least one of her parents via telephone.
C
If a paramedic is on duty and receives a 9-1-1 call in his or her jurisdiction:
Choose one answer.
A. he or she is not covered by the Good Samaritan law.
B. the Good Samaritan law will provide limited immunity.
C. state law requires that he or she respond within 5 minutes.
D. he or she cannot be held liable if a fee is not charged to the patient.
A
If a conflict arises between a paramedic and a physician bystander in the field, the paramedic should:
Choose one answer.
A. become subordinate to the physician.
B. involve law enforcement in the incident.
C. contact medical control to seek resolution.
D. politely ask the physician to leave the scene.
C
A DNR order is MOST accurately defined as a:
Choose one answer.
A. written order designed to tell health care providers when resuscitation is or is not appropriate.
B. legal document that is executed by the patient while he or she still has decision-making capacity.
C. written or oral directive that stipulates the care that a patient should receive at the end of his or her life.
D. legal document signed by at least two physicians that prohibits resuscitative efforts in terminally ill patients.
A
You are called to a community center for a 40-year-old woman who is “acting strange.” Upon your arrival, you assess the patient and determine that she is conscious, alert, and oriented to person, place, time, and event. She does not appear to be mentally impaired. Her oxygen saturation is 99% on room air and her blood glucose level is 112 mg/dL. The patient’s husband tells you that his wife has bipolar disorder and takes medication for it. The patient tells you that she is fine and does not want to go to the hospital. You should:
Choose one answer.
A. contact online medical control and request permission to transport the patient against her will because of her bipolar disorder.
B. recognize that this patient has decision-making capacity at the present time and that you cannot force her to go to the hospital.
C. transport the patient against her will, but only if it can be established that she has been noncompliant with her bipolar medication.
D. advise the patient that, because of her history of bipolar disorder, she does not have the legal capacity to refuse EMS treatment and transport.
B
The husband of a terminally ill woman called 9-1-1 because he thinks his wife is about to die. The patient has a valid living will and an out-of-hospital DNR order. You should:
Choose one answer.
A. ask the husband why he called EMS if his wife is not to be resuscitated.
B. assume that the husband has revoked the DNR order and begin treatment.
C. contact medical control and request permission to provide emergency care.
D. treat the husband and his wife with respect and provide emotional support.
D
A 39-year-old man with severe dehydration requires IV fluid therapy to treat his condition. The patient is conscious, alert, and oriented to person, place, time, and event. You should:
Choose one answer.
A. ask him if you can start an IV and explain the reason for the IV as well as the potential risks of IV therapy.
B. tell the patient that you are going to start an IV on him in order to replenish his body with lost fluid and electrolytes.
C. start the IV to quickly restore his body fluid balance and then explain to the patient why you started the IV line.
D. establish the IV line based on the law of implied consent, because his condition has impaired his decision-making capacity.
A
Which of the following situations is an example of an act of commission?
Choose one answer.
A. The paramedic charges for his or her services.
B. A paramedic sutures a patient’s lacerated arm.
C. An EMT fails to splint a possible leg fracture.
D. A physician transfers patient care to a paramedic.
B
According to the qualified immunity doctrine, the paramedic can be held liable only if:
Choose one answer.
A. he or she volunteers as a paramedic and receive no remuneration for his or her medical services.
B. the medical care that he or she provided was not consistent with what a physician would have provided.
C. he or she was not employed by a governmental entity at the time an incident or violation occurred.
D. the plaintiff proves that the paramedic violated a clearly established law about which he or she should have known.
D
Generally, the paramedic is not at liberty to disregard a physician’s order unless:
Choose one answer.
A. the physician is not the paramedic’s medical director.
B. the physician is not a licensed emergency physician.
C. it is documented why the order was not carried out.
D. carrying out the order will cause harm to the patient.
D
