3 - Medical, Legal and Ethical Issues (VOCAB)

Question 1

Ending the care of an injured or ill person without obtaining the patient’s consent or without ensuring that someone with equal or greater training will continue care.

Answer 1

Abandonment

Question 2

A written instruction, signed by the patient and a physician, which documents a patient’s wishes if the patient is unable to communicate his or her wishes.

Answer 2

Advance directive

Question 3

The use of ethics in decision making; applying ethical values

Answer 3

Applied ethics

Question 4

A crime that occurs when a person tries to physically harm another in a way that makes the person under attack feel immediately threatened.

Answer 4

Assault

Question 5

A crime that occurs when there is unlawful touching of a person without the person’s consent.

Answer 5

Battery

Question 6

The patient’s ability to understand the EMRs questions and the implications of decisions made.

Answer 6

Competence

Question 7

Protection of a patient’s privacy by not revealing any personal patient information except to law enforcement personnel or EMS personnel caring for the patient.

Answer 7

Confidentiality

Question 8

Permission to provide care; given by an injured or ill person to a responder.

Answer 8

Consent

Question 9

The principle that people who intervene to help others must doe their best to ensure their actions will do no harm to the patient.

Answer 9

Do no harm

Question 10

A type of advanced directive that protects a patient’s right to refuse efforts for resuscitation; also known as do no attempt resuscitation (DNAR) order.

Answer 10

Do not resuscitate (DNR) order

Question 11

A legal document that expresses a patient’s specific wishes regarding hiss r her health care; also empowers an individual, usually a relative or friend, to speak on behalf of the patient should he or she become seriously injured or ill and unable to speak for him- or herself.

Answer 11

Durable power of attorney for health care

Question 12

A legal responsibly of some individuals to provide a reasonable standard of emergency care.

Answer 12

Duty to act

Question 13

A branch of philosophy concerned with the set of moral principles a person holds about what is right and wrong.

Answer 13

Ethics

Question 14

Permission to receive emergency care granted by a competent adult verbally, nonverbally or through gestures.

Answer 14

Expressed consent

Question 15

Laws that apply in some circumstances to protect people who provide emergency care without accepting anything in return.

Answer 15

Good Samaritan laws

Question 16

A person named in a health-care directive, or durable power of attorney for health care, who can make medical decisions on someone else’s behalf.

Answer 16

Health care proxy

Question 17

Legal concepts that assume a patient would consent to receive emergency care if he or she were physically able to or old enough to do so.

Answer 17

Implied consent

Question 18

Acting in such a way that the goal is only to help the patient and that all actions are for that purpose.

Answer 18

In good faith

Question 19

Obligation to act in a particular way in accordance with the law.

Answer 19

Legal obligation

Question 20

A type of advance directive that outlines the patient’s wishes about certain kinds of medical treatments and procedures that prolong life.

Answer 20

Living will

Question 21

A situation in which a professional fails to provide a reasonable quality of care, resulting in harm to a patient.

Answer 21

Malpractice

Question 22

A situation in which a patient has a medical or traumatic condition that is scientifically accepted to be futile should resuscitation be attempted and, therefore, the patient should be considered dead on arrival.

Answer 22

Medical futility

Question 23

Obligation to act in a particular way in accordance with what is considered morally right.

Answer 23

Moral obligation

Question 24

Principles relating to issues of right and wrong and how individual people should behave.

Answer 24

Morals

Question 25

The failure to provide the level of care a person of similar training would provide, thereby causing injury or damage to another.

Answer 25

Negligence

Question 26

The closest relatives, as defined by state law, of a deceased person; usually the spouse and nearest blood relatives.

Answer 26

Next of kin

Question 27

A fundamental ethical principle that refers to the provision of competent care, with compassion and respect for human dignity.

Answer 27

Patient’s best interest

Question 28

The declining of care by a competent patient; a patient has the right to refuse the care of anyone who responds to an emergency scene.

Answer 28

Refusal of care

Question 29

The criterion establishes for the extent and quality of an EMRs care.

Answer 29

Standard of care

Question 30

A third party with the legal right to make decisions for another person regarding medical and health issues through a durable power of attorney and health care.

Answer 30

Surrogate decision maker