• Nursing ethical principles

o Autonomy

o Beneficence

o Fidelity

o Justice

o Nonmaleficience

o Veracity

• Intentional torts

o Assault

o Battery

o False imprisonment

• Unintentional torts (didn’t intend to harm patient but you did)

o Negligence- forgetting to set the bed alarm for a fall risk patient

o Malpractice- medication error occurs that harms a patient

• Informed Consent

o Responsibility of the provider

▪ Purpose and complete description of procedure in patient’s

primary language

▪ Risks vs. benefits

▪ Describe alternatives

o Responsibility of the nurse

▪ Make sure provider did give all info needed

▪ Patient is competent

▪ Patient sign consent document

• If pt has further questions call provider and have them

come back and explain things further BEFORE they sign

the form

• Advance Directives

o Living will

o Durable power of attorney (health care proxy)

o Provider’s orders- for DNR AND (allow natural death)

o Mandatory Reporting—must report suspicion of abuse

▪ Don’t wait just report it right away

▪ Report communicable disease to local and state departments