Malpractice: Unintentional Tort
Beneficence: The quality of doing good; can be described as charity.
Negligence: Unintentional Tort
False imprisonment: Intentional Tort
Battery: Intentional Tort
Confidentiality: Client’s right to privacy, protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule of 2003.
Fidelity: Loyalty and faithfulness to the client and to one’s duty
Justice: Fair and equal treatment for all.
Autonomy: The client’s right to make their own decisions.
Veracity: Honesty when dealing with a client
Assault: Intentional Tort
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: Making a threat to a client’s person (such as approaching the client in a threatening manner with a syringe in hand).
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: A type of professional negligence, in which a professionals misconduct causes harm to a client. Such as if a nurse failed to notify the PCP of significant decelerations in a fetal heart rate and child was born with a brain injury.
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 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: Failing to provide adequate care in a personal or professional situation when one has an obligation to do so. Such as not checking on a client who was in restraints and the client losing circulation to a limb.
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: Touching a client in a harmful or offensive way. This would occur if the nurse threatening the client with a syringe actually grabbed the client and gave an injection against the client's will.
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: A nurse helps a newly admitted client who has a psychotic disorder to feel safe in the environment of the mental health facility.
