A nurse working on a busy medical-surgical unit does not take the vital signs of a client who is preparing for discharge but instead documents the same vital signs obtained earlier in the morning. For which tort would the nurse be potentially liable?
Fraud
False imprisonment
Battery
Assault
The Correct Answer is A
Choice A reason: Falsifying vital signs by documenting earlier readings without reassessment constitutes fraud, a deliberate misrepresentation that could harm the patient. Accurate vital signs monitor physiological status, like heart rate or blood pressure, ensuring stability for discharge. Fraudulent documentation risks missing critical changes, such as tachycardia or hypotension, potentially leading to unsafe discharge and legal liability.
Choice B reason: False imprisonment involves unlawfully restricting a patient’s movement, unrelated to falsifying vital signs. Documentation errors do not restrict mobility but compromise care quality. Vital signs reflect cardiovascular and respiratory function, and falsifying them risks patient safety, not freedom, making false imprisonment an incorrect tort for this scenario of fraudulent charting.
Choice C reason: Battery involves unauthorized physical contact, like unconsented procedures, not documentation errors. Falsifying vital signs is a non-physical act of misrepresentation, not touching. Accurate vital signs ensure physiological stability for discharge, and falsification risks harm through neglect, aligning with fraud, not battery, as the nurse’s action involves deceit, not contact.
Choice D reason: Assault involves threatening harm, not falsifying records. Documenting earlier vital signs without reassessment is fraudulent, risking patient safety by missing physiological changes, like arrhythmias. This misrepresentation does not involve threats or intimidation, making assault irrelevant. Fraud is the appropriate tort, as it addresses intentional deception in clinical documentation.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: Checking the blood pressure in 90 minutes delays addressing a potential cause of the elevated reading, such as pain from the fractured femur. Pain activates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing blood pressure. Immediate assessment of pain allows for timely intervention, preventing prolonged stress and ensuring accurate evaluation of the patient’s condition.
Choice B reason: Requesting anti-anxiety medication assumes anxiety is the cause without evidence. Pain from a fractured femur is a more likely trigger for elevated blood pressure, as it stimulates catecholamine release. Administering anxiolytics without assessing pain risks masking symptoms, delaying appropriate pain management, and failing to address the underlying physiological stressor.
Choice C reason: Requesting an antihypertensive is premature without identifying the cause of the elevated blood pressure. Pain from the fracture can cause transient hypertension via sympathetic activation. Treating the blood pressure without addressing pain may lower it unnecessarily, risking hypoperfusion while ignoring the primary issue, per pain management and cardiovascular physiology.
Choice D reason: Asking if the patient is having pain is the priority, as a fractured femur often causes significant pain, elevating blood pressure through sympathetic nervous system activation. Assessing pain guides appropriate analgesia, which may normalize blood pressure. This addresses the likely cause, aligns with patient-centered care, and prevents complications from untreated pain, per nursing assessment protocols.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Teaching calcium intake to prevent bone loss is primary prevention, aimed at reducing disease risk before it occurs. Calcium strengthens bone density, reducing osteoporosis risk by supporting osteoblast activity and mineralization. This proactive measure prevents bone loss in healthy individuals, addressing the physiological need for calcium to maintain skeletal integrity before pathology develops.
Choice B reason: Secondary prevention involves early detection of disease, like screening for osteoporosis via bone density scans. Teaching calcium intake aims to prevent bone loss before it occurs, not detect it. Calcium supports bone remodeling, but secondary prevention targets existing asymptomatic conditions, making this incorrect for a strategy focused on preventing initial bone loss.
Choice C reason: Tertiary prevention manages existing disease to prevent complications, like rehabilitation after an osteoporotic fracture. Teaching calcium intake prevents bone loss before disease onset, aligning with primary prevention. Calcium enhances bone strength, but tertiary prevention focuses on restoring function post-disease, not preventing initial bone density loss, making this incorrect.
Choice D reason: Residual prevention is not a recognized term in public health. Teaching calcium intake is primary prevention, as it promotes bone health to prevent osteoporosis. Calcium supports bone matrix formation, reducing fracture risk. Incorrect terms like residual prevention do not apply, as prevention levels are clearly defined as primary, secondary, or tertiary in medical practice.
Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.
Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today
Report Wrong Answer on the Current Question
Do you disagree with the answer? If yes, what is your expected answer? Explain.
Kindly be descriptive with the issue you are facing.