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abandonment
in the context of nursing, refers to the act of a nurse leaving a patient's care without making sure another qualified nurse is ready to take over and continue providing necessary medical attention and support
administrative law
policies and procedures established by governments (federal, state, and local) that detail rules and procedures for statutory laws
advocacy
publicly lending one’s voice and/or support to a cause, person, or policy
altruism
working for the well-being of others
assault
intentionally putting another individual in fear of being hurt or touched in an offensive fashion
autonomy
an individual’s ability to make decisions and determine courses of actions based on being well informed, giving consent, and volunteering without coercion
battery
intentionally causing harm or touching an individual offensively without their consent
beneficence
ethical principle that underscores the obligation to do good and promote the well-being of patients
care-based approach
ethics that combines the actions of providing care for others with the value of caring for the individual, while recognizing their frailty and vulnerability
civil action
lawsuit in which one individual or group sues another for violating a social or legal contract or the rights of others
civil law
law dealing with people, things, and the relationships between them
common law
unwritten law based on principles of justice, reason, and common sense
confidentiality
maintaining patient privacy in terms of health and personal information
conflict of interest
when an individual’s personal interests could compromise their judgment, decisions, or actions at work
conscience
inner feeling or voice inside an individual’s head that tells them whether actions, thoughts, or behaviors are right or wrong
conscientious objection
to preserve integrity, refusing to perform actions that violate values, as long as the refusal is not based on personal prejudice and/or convenience
constitutional law
law written into the U.S. Constitution and its amendments
credentialing
a process that agencies use to ensure that their clinical staff (all healthcare professionals) meet the necessary and legal criteria to practice
crime
violating a criminal law
criminal charge
legal action against an individual who has allegedly perpetrated a crime by acting against a specific statute or common law principle in a way that is harmful
criminal law
law that defines crimes and the punishments for people perpetrating them
defendant
the party against whom a legal action is brought
deontology
a theoretical perspective that assumes that ethical decisions or actions are right or wrong because they meet a moral law or principle
dilemma
a choice between two or more potentially correct answers
ethical conduct
behaving in a manner aligned with the Code of Ethics for Nurses, nursing values and virtues, and nursing ethical principles
ethical consideration
an issue that causes a nurse to stop to think through the ethics of a situation
ethical dilemma
a choice between two or more actions that must be made, both of which are equally good, both of which are equally bad, or for which the benefits of both actions are unknown
ethical principle
fundamental concept that guides individuals and professionals in determining what is right or wrong in a given situation
ethics
a branch of philosophy and a set of moral principles, virtues, or ideals that guide behavior and help determine what is right and wrong
ethics committee
a group that works together on a regular basis to address ethical issues within the organization
expert witness
an individual whose job is to describe the applicable standards and their opinion of whether a nurse in each situation would have been reasonably expected to behave/perform in a particular way
false imprisonment
restraining another person or causing them to be restricted to a specific area
felony
more serious criminal act for which perpetrators are generally fined more than $1,000 and/or jailed for more than one year
fidelity
faithfulness and loyalty
fraud
deceiving an individual or group for personal gain
Good Samaritan law
law that protects healthcare professionals from civil liability in emergency situations as long as they are acting in a way that is expected, reasonable, and prudent from someone with the same background
human dignity
every individual has worth on account of being human
informed consent
a requirement that healthcare providers inform a patient or their surrogate of the potential benefits, risks, and alternative treatments for a procedure or treatment that is being offered
injunction
prevents or requires defendants from particular actions or procedures in the future
integrity
being honest and morally constant, supporting what is right even when not popular, and meeting commitments
intentional tort
action that an individual knew or should have known was incorrect or inappropriate
justice
treating all people equally and judging them on the same criteria
laws
formal rules for conduct that governs behavior and is created and sanctioned by various agencies, such as Congress and states
lay witness
individual with knowledge of a case who is called to court to speak to the facts of the case, what they saw and did not see
level of evidence
an indication of how much proof is required to find a defendant liable for an event
libel
negative, malicious, and/or false written remarks about another person to damage their reputation
litigation
the process of resolving disputes or legal conflicts through the court system
malpractice
professional negligence
mandated reporter
individual required by law to report suspected or known abuse against children, older adults, people with disabilities, and between intimate partners
medical futility
the point at which further interventions will not improve a patient’s life expectancy
misdemeanor
less egregious criminal act, for which perpetrators are generally fined less than $1,000 and/or jailed for less than one year
moral courage
the willingness to stand up for what is moral and ethical even when it may negatively impact the nurse
moral distress
knowing the ethically correct action but being unable to perform it or being forced to act outside one’s personal and professional values
moral injury
when healthcare workers become psychologically harmed from being forced to act outside of their value system for an extended period of time
motion to dismiss
request to dismiss a case
negligence
results from an individual or organization who has a duty to act, breaches that duty, and causes damage; results from individuals not acting in a way that would be reasonably expected of someone in the same position
nonmaleficence
ethical principle that emphasizes the obligation to do no harm intentionally
Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)
an agreement among certain U.S. states to recognize and accept a single nursing license that allows nurses to practice in multiple participating states
nursing ethics
a moral base from which nurses work
nursing practice act (NPA)
the statutory law guiding nursing practice for a state
plaintiff
the person who files a lawsuit against someone
presenteeism
coming to work but not being able to perform fully and competently due to illness or job stress
principle-based approach (also, principlism)
draws from deontology and assumes that ethical principles can guide all actions and decisions for nurses
risk management
strategies to prevent being named in a criminal or civil liability case
self-advocacy
the act of speaking up for oneself and one’s needs
self-determination
the ways individuals control their lives and surroundings and express their autonomy
settlement
an agreement between the parties to not go to trial but rather to have a payment to the plaintiff in exchange for no admission of guilt or liability for the defendant
seven domains of health
a holistic framework that encompasses various dimensions of well-being and health
slander
negative, malicious, and/or false oral remarks about another person to damage their reputation
social justice
a belief that all people deserve equal treatment and access to health care
standards
professionally developed criteria providing the minimal level of acceptable practice for all individuals within a profession
Standards of Practice
standards designed by the ANA and based on the nursing process that provides a problem-solving-focused approach to nursing practice
Standards of Professional Nursing Practice
statements of functions and conduct that all nurses, in every setting, are expected to execute capably
Standards of Professional Performance
professional nursing behaviors and mindsets, including advocacy, respect, communication, collaboration, leadership, research, and environmental health
statutory law
law established by legislative bodies, such as Congress, state legislatures, and local governments
summons
formal notice issued by a court or other authorized entity, informing an individual (defendant) that a legal action has been initiated against them
tort
a type of civil law focused on the rights and duties of individuals, in which an individual can sue another for damages after suffering harm because of wrongful actions on the part of the person being sued
unintentional tort
causing harm to someone without intending to do so
utilitarianism (also, consequentialism)
a theoretical perspective of ethics that focuses on doing the greatest good for the most people and the least amount of harm for others
value
a central, guiding principle in an individual’s life
value system
the sum of an individual’s or group’s values, such as codes of conduct
veracity
truthfulness
verdict
legal decision
virtue ethics
theory based on principle that people make decisions and perform actions based on their character
whistleblower
an individual reporting misconduct
whistleblowing
the reporting of misconduct, such as fraud, abusive patient care, or unsafe conditions to outside authorities
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