Deck 3: Legal and Ethical Issues and Documentation

Question 1

The rules and regulations made by the executive branch of government are called ____________ law.

A) legislative
B) judicial
C) administrative
D) executive

Answer 1

administrative

Question 2

Cases in which the federal, state, or local governments prosecute individuals on behalf of society for violating laws designed to safeguard society fall under which type of law?

A) Personal
B) Administrative
C) Civil
D) Criminal

Answer 2

Criminal

Question 3

Conducting a patient assessment, providing supplemental oxygen, or assisting in childbirth are duties that fall under an EMT's

A) job description
B) standard of care
C) scope of practice
D) protocols

Answer 3

scope of practice

Question 4

Information that EMTs get from patients that must be kept confidential is known as ___________ health information.

A) classified
B) confidential
C) patient
D) protected

Question 5

Your diabetic patient is unable to tell you her name or where she is, and she does not appear to understand what you are saying to her. This patient has failed the test for which of the following?

A) Legal competence
B) Mental competence
C) Situational competence
D) Place/Time Competence

Question 6

You arrive on the scene to find an unresponsive hypoglycemic patient. You provide glucose to her and prepare her for transport. In this case, you acted under which type of consent?

A) Implicit
B) Implied
C) Expressed
D) Emergency

Question 7

You tell your patient what needs to be done to treat his injury, why treatment is necessary, and disclose any risks that could exist. He agrees to let you perform care. The patient gave which type of consent?

A) Expressed
B) Emergency
C) Informed
D) Implicit

Question 8

You are called to a daycare center to treat a child who fell and now has several large contusions and gashes that need care. The director gives you a form that states she is able to make medical decisions when the child is in her care. In this situation, you

A) inform the daycare provider that you still need permission from the parents even with her signed form and wait until they arrive.
B) provide care and ask the daycare provider to notify the parents when they arrive to pick him up at the end of the work day.
C) transport him to the hospital and transfer care to medical staff there who can determine if the form is valid for treatment.
D) ask your partner to keep trying to contact the parents at all available phone numbers while you provide care to him.

Question 9

Which of the following situations would be considered a high-risk refusal of care if the patient did not allow you to conduct an assessment and treat injuries?

A) A patient who was in a motorcycle crash while he was driving 10mph.
B) A patient who fell off a theater stage and dropped 5 feet before landing.
C) A patient who hit her head on the bottom of a pool while diving.
D) A patient who slipped on the grass while playing a soccer game.

Question 10

Your patient refuses to allow you to treat him and will not sign a refusal of care form. His wife has also tried to convince him to accept care, but he tells you to leave his house immediately. Which of the following should you do in this situation?

A) Document in your report that he refused care and leave the scene.
B) Call the police to the scene and ask them to convince him to sign the form.
C) Contact medical direction and document their permission for you to not provide care.
D) Ask his wife to sign the refusal of care form as a witness to his refusal and then leave.

Question 11

What type of care includes providing emotional support, suctioning the airway, giving oxygen, controlling bleeding, and splinting?

A) Homeopathic
B) Palliative
C) Alleviation
D) Definitive

Question 12

MOLST stands for ______________ Orders of Life-Sustaining Treatment.

A) Maintenance
B) Medicine
C) Management
D) Medical

Question 13

You need to conduct an assessment on a patient, but he keeps backing away from you and refuses to lie down. You tell him that if he does not cooperate, you will have him placed in restraints. In this situation, you could be guilty of

A) battery.
B) abandonment.
C) negligence.
D) assault.

Question 14

___________ is terminating patient care without making sure that care will continue at the same level or higher.

A) Assault
B) Battery
C) Abandonment
D) Negligence

Question 15

A healthcare professional who fails to act as a reasonable, careful, similarly trained person would act under similar circumstances is guilty of which of the following?

A) Assault
B) Abandonment
C) Battery
D) Negligence

Question 16

After you finish a difficult call, you are very frustrated and write in your report that you think the patient was "nuts" and that he had "something seriously wrong with him." In this situation, you could be found guilty of

A) libel
B) slander
C) vilification
D) defamation

Question 17

In a lawsuit, the legal term for the person who is being sued or accused in a case is the

A) secondary party
B) defendant
C) plaintiff
D) accused party

Question 18

The purpose of the ______________ phase of a court case is to enable each side to learn the facts necessary to prepare its case and to narrow the issues to be decided by the jury at trial.

A) interrogatory
B) pretrial conference
C) discovery
D) deposition

Question 19

The Health Insurance Portability and ____________ Act, known as HIPAA, was passed by Congress in 1996, and is designed to ensure the confidentiality of a patient's health information.

A) Activity
B) Accommodation
C) Accountability
D) Accuracy

Question 20

In which of the following situations would you need the patient's agreement in order to share protected health information?

A) When the patient is a victim of domestic abuse and you are speaking to a reporting agency.
B) When you are notifying a family member of the patient's location and general condition.
C) When you are providing information to a hospital for treatment and payment purposes.
D) When you are giving detailed condition information to a patient's live-out boyfriend.

Question 21

You are called to the scene of a gunshot wound and the law enforcement personnel have declared the scene safe to enter. You should

A) remove any torn clothing from the patient and dispose of it.
B) make thorough documentation your priority on the scene.
C) begin assessing and providing care to the patient right away.
D) conduct a scene size-up and survey before providing care.

Question 22

In situations where you treat a child or elder who is being abused or a patient who has suffered a gunshot wound, you are a ______________ reporter.

A) critical incident
B) legal
C) required
D) None of these are correct

Question 23

The prehospital care report (PCR) may also be called the

A) travel sheet
B) accident sheet
C) EMT report
D) run report

Question 24

In which section of the Prehospital Care Report should you list the patient's chief complaint, mechanism of injury, and level of consciousness?

A) Assessment information
B) Administrative information
C) Scene information
D) Patient information

Question 25

In which section of the Prehospital Care Report should you list the time your unit was notified of a call, the time you arrived at the patient, and the time you completed the transfer of care?

A) Linkage information
B) Scene information
C) Statistical information
D) Patient information

Question 26

You are collecting patient information for your PCR and ask the patient his name. He says, "Tommy Ralph Nixon," and his wife adds "Thomas actually."
How should you document his name in your report?

A) Nixon, Tommy R.
B) Thomas R. Nixon
C) Nixon, Thomas R.
D) Thomas Ralph Nixon

Question 27

The patient assessment section of the PCR is also called the ___________ section.

A) narrative
B) condition
C) detailed
D) medical

Question 28

In your PCR, you write that you "felt the patient does not take good care of herself" and that you "think she really needs a family member to step in and manage her situation."This has violated which standard of good documentation?

A) Accuracy
B) Objectivity
C) Completeness
D) Subjectivity

Question 29

Your patient with an asthma attack reports no history of a recent cold, bronchitis or other infection. This information would be considered __________ findings.

A) perplexing positive
B) pertinent positive
C) pertinent negative
D) perplexing negative

Question 30

Your partner is finalizing his PCR and realizes that he wrote down an incorrect pulse reading. You tell him to

A) rewrite that page of the report, mark it as the correct one, and attach to the original one.
B) use white-out to remove the incorrect number, write in the correct one, and initial it.
C) draw a single horizontal line through it, write the correct reading and initial it.
D) submit it as is because the hospital will take a new reading when the patient is transferred.

Question 31

In the SOAP method of documentation, the "P" stands for

A) patient
B) plan
C) pain
D) pulse

Question 32

In the SOAP method of documentation, in which section would the patient's chief complaint, history of the present illness, related symptoms, and SAMPLE history be listed?

A) Assessment
B) Objective findings
C) Subjective findings
D) Plan

Question 33

In the CHART method of documentation, the "T" stands for

A) tracking
B) transport
C) treatment
D) transfer

Question 34

You inform your patient that you are an EMT and that you would like to conduct an assessment to determine her injuries. She nods her head and walks toward the ambulance. The patient has just given you which type of consent?

A) Emergency
B) Implicit
C) Implied
D) Expressed

Question 35

Your patient tells you that her name is Susan and that she hit her head while falling down a flight of stairs. She knows the date and day of the week. She is

A) mentally competent.
B) legally competent.
C) mentally incompetent.
D) legally incompetent.

Question 36

Which of the following government agencies is responsible for implementing and enforcing laws passed by the legislative branch of government?

A) Administrative
B) Civil
C) Legislative
D) Judicial

Question 37

Personal injury claims, divorce, and contract disputes fall under which type of law?

A) Administrative
B) Civil
C) Criminal
D) Personal

Question 38

You arrive on the scene of an accident and begin assessing the patient. He is able to tell you his name, where he is, the day and time, and what happened. This patient has

A) place/time competence.
B) mental competence.
C) situational competence.
D) legal competence.

Question 39

Your patient is unresponsive and has no pulse. You begin CPR. In this case, you are working under which type of consent?

A) Expressed
B) Absentee
C) Implied
D) Urgent

Question 40

Your patient is complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath, but does not want you to transport him to the hospital as you've recommended. While waiting for ALS to arrive and document the refusal of care, you should

A) make multiple attempts to convince him to accept care and transport.
B) ask to speak with his friend and make sure that the friend understands the severity of the situation.
C) assume implied consent and begin preparing him for transport.
D) administer 100% oxygen via non-rebreather mask.

Question 41

Your elderly patient is not breathing and has no pulse. Her husband informs you that she has an advance directive and gives you the paperwork. The advanced directive states that the patient does not want resuscitation. You should

A) ask the husband to provide documentation that he is authorized to execute medical decisions for his wife.
B) begin CPR while your partner calls the paramedic team to come and make a final decision.
C) make sure the form lists her name and that he can provide documentation showing she is the person named.
D) discuss the importance of starting CPR immediately and ask if he understands that she will die without it.

Question 42

POLST stands for _________ Orders of Life-Sustaining Treatment.

A) Personnel
B) Patient
C) Physician
D) Provider

Question 43

The unlawful touching of another person without consent is called

A) negligence.
B) battery.
C) abandonment.
D) assault.

Question 44

In a negligence charge, one of the four elements that must be proven is that the actions or inactions of the EMS professional caused or contributed to the injury. This is known as the ___________ cause.

A) penalty
B) personnel
C) proximate
D) provider

Question 45

Your female patient complains of severe pain in her hip after a fall. She thinks she might be pregnant, does not want any medication, and does not want her boyfriend to know about the possible pregnancy. Her boyfriend demands that you give her painkillers immediately. You should

A) tell him that he needs to speak to his girlfriend and find out why she is refusing medication on the scene.
B) disclose that his girlfriend may be pregnant, as he has a right to assist in making decisions for his potential child.
C) tell him that she has refused medication until further assessment is done by the hospital.
D) explain that you are not authorized to administer medications and tell him to ask the ALS team when they arrive.

Question 46

The prehospital care report (PCR) may also be called the

A) travel sheet.
B) ambulance report.
C) EMR report.
D) accident sheet.

Question 47

Listing the time the incident was reported to 9-1-1, the time your unit was notified, and the time you arrived at the patient are all included in which section of the Prehospital Care Report?

A) Assessment information
B) Administrative information
C) Patient information
D) Scene information

Question 48

When writing a PCR, you should

A) skip items that do not apply to your particular patient or situation.
B) document any orders received from medical direction and the results.
C) save time and space on the report by using abbreviations as much as possible.
D) report the events of the call in the order of what was most important.

Question 49

In a lawsuit, the person who files a formal complaint with the court is known as the

A) accusing party.
B) plaintiff.
C) leading party.
D) defendant.

Question 50

After a lawsuit has been filed with the court and all parties have been notified, they enter which stage of the process?

A) Pretrial conference
B) Discovery
C) Deposition
D) Interrogatory

Question 51

A patient has a gunshot wound to the stomach. His shirt is soaked in blood. You should

A) remove the shirt by cutting around (rather than through) the bullet hole.
B) cut the front of his shirt to remove it immediately.
C) apply 100% oxygen via non-rebreather mask to him.
D) tell your partner to document the location and size of the bullet hole.

Question 52

At the hospital, you transfer your patient to a volunteer who is covering the ER admitting desk for a few minutes while the admitting nurse has stepped away. In this case, you could be charged with

A) abuse.
B) negligence.
C) battery.
D) abandonment.

Question 53

An unresponsive patient has lost a pulse and your partner states that his driver's license identifies the patient as an organ donor. You should

A) treat the patient like any other patient and begin CPR immediately.
B) notify the hospital that you have an organ donor ready for procurement.
C) wait for the paramedics to determine appropriate treatment.
D) start CPR, but do not take any other resuscitation steps if that fails.

Question 54

Your partner is documenting a call where a suicidal teenage girl was restrained before transport. He writes that she was "rude, confrontational, and very dramatic in her responses to our questions." Which standard for good documentation has he violated?

A) Objectivity
B) Completeness
C) Subjectivity
D) Accuracy

Question 55

As you are double-checking your patient care report, you realize that you documented an incorrect blood pressure. You should

A) rewrite that page of the report, and throw away the incorrect page.
B) draw a single horizontal line through it, write the correct reading and initial it.
C) use white-out to remove the incorrect number, write in the correct one and initial it.
D) submit it as is, knowing that the hospital will take another blood pressure reading when the patient arrives.

Question 56

Many states or local laws require personnel to report cases that involve abuse to a child or an elder, infectious diseases, or gunshot wounds. All of these personnel are known as

A) required reporters.
B) mandated reporters.
C) critical incident reporters.
D) legal reporters.

Question 57

Your elderly female patient has a burn on her forearm from a kitchen accident and shows signs of disorientation and confusion. She wants you to apply a bandage and leave and is refusing transport. You should

A) carefully document the patient's refusal of transportation and do as she has requested.
B) do as the patient has requested since she is a legal adult and can make her own care decisions.
C) ask her caregiving daughter who is present to make the transport decision and sign the form.
D) call for paramedics and wait until they take over care to determine the next steps.