Nonmaleficence
Advanced Directive
Veracity
Malpractice: Unintentional Tort
Battery: Intentional Tort
Confidentiality
Justice
Assault
Client Abandonment
Autonomy
Fidelity
Informed Consent
Good Samaritan Act
Beneficence
False imprisonment
Example: A nurse helps a newly admitted client who has a psychotic disorder to feel safe in the environment of the mental health facility.
Example: During a treatment team meeting, a nurse leads a discussion regarding whether or not two clients who broke the same facility rule were treated equally.
Example: The nurse holds the flu shot (does not give), on a client who previously had a serious life-threatening reaction to the vaccine.
Example: The nurse administers an IM injection to a client of sound mind and judgment after the client had already refused the medication.
Example: While driving to work, a nurse stops to provide aid to those involved in a motor vehicle crash. The nurse knows he must obtain consent to help the pedestrians, work within his scope and as another reasonably prudent nurse would function and can not leave the scene until he can transfer care appropriately.
Example: A client asks a nurse to be present when they talk to their guardian for the first time in a year. The nurse remains with the client during this interaction.
Example: The nurse only shares information about the client, either verbal or written, with those who are responsible for implementing the client’s treatment plan.
Example: Prior to "putting the client under anesthesia," the anesthesiologist provides full disclosure over the risks and benefits of conscious sedation.
Example: Confining a client to a specific area either physically, verbally, or by using a chemical restraint when it is not part of the clients treatment.
Example: Rather than giving advice to a client who has difficulty making decisions, a nurse helps the client explore all alternatives and arrive at a choice.
Example: A client states, “You and that other staff member were talking about me, weren’t you?” The nurse truthfully replies, “We were discussing ways to help you relate to the other clients in a more positive way.”
Example: A legal document what states a competent individuals wishes in the event they become incapacitated. Nurses must ask a client if they have one, would like information about them and document if the client has one.
Example: Although the nurse accepts the client assignment they feel is unsafe, the nurse reports their concern in writing to the supervisor.
Example: The nurse tells the client, "If you bite me, I'll bite you right back!"
Example: The nurse failed to notify the primary care provider of significant decelerations in a fetal heart rate. As a result, the child was born with a brain injury.
