Law and Ethics Vocab

Question 1

Civil Law

Answer 1

a branch of law that regulates the non-criminal rights, duties of persons, and equal legal relations between private individuals.

Question 2

Criminal Law

Answer 2

a system of laws concerned with crimes and the punishment of individuals who commit crimes.

Question 3

Felony

Answer 3

a crime of high seriousness.

Question 4

Misdemeanor

Answer 4

a crime of lesser seriousness.

Question 5

Tort

Answer 5

a wrongful act or an infringement of a right.

Question 6

Assault

Answer 6

an illegal act of causing physical harm or unwanted physical contact to another person.

Question 7

Battery

Answer 7

an unlawful application of force directly or indirectly upon another person or their personal belongings, causing bodily injury or offensive contact.

Question 8

Defamation

Answer 8

the action of damaging the good reputation of someone.

Question 9

Libel

Answer 9

a published false statement.

Question 10

Slander

Answer 10

the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.

Question 11

Informed Consent

Answer 11

a healthcare provider educates a patient about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a given procedure or intervention.

Question 12

Consent

Answer 12

permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.

Question 13

Implied Consent

Answer 13

consent which is not expressly granted by a person, but rather implicitly granted by a person’s actions.

Question 14

Express Consent

Answer 14

permission for something that is given specifically, either verbally or in writing.

Question 15

Negligence

Answer 15

failure to take proper care in doing something.

Question 16

Scope of Practice

Answer 16

the activities that an individual health care practitioner is permitted to perform within a specific profession.

Question 17

Malpractice

Answer 17

any negligent behavior on the part of a care provider.

Question 18

Expert Witness

Answer 18

a person with specialized knowledge, skills, education, or experience in a particular field who is called upon to provide their expertise in legal proceedings.

Question 19

Patient Abandonment

Answer 19

when a healthcare provider refuses to treat a patient or is negligent in not being available when a patient needs care.

Question 20

Good Samaritan Act

Answer 20

a person who renders emergency care at or near the scene of, or during, an emergency, gratuitously and in good faith, is not liable for any civil damages or penalties as a result of any act.

Question 21

Statute of Limitations

Answer 21

a statute prescribing a period of limitation for the bringing of certain kinds of legal action.

Question 22

Patient Self-Determination Act

Answer 22

mandates that patient advanced directives be implemented if necessary, assuming those wishes are legally valid and permissible by State law.

Question 23

Advance Directive

Answer 23

legal documents that provide instructions for medical care and only go into effect if you cannot communicate your own wishes.

Question 24

Durable Power of Attorney

Answer 24

the agent can act even if the principal becomes disabled or incapacitated.

Question 25

Health Care Proxy

Answer 25

a person who can make health care decisions for you if you are unable to communicate them yourself.

Question 26

DNR

Answer 26

Do-Not-Resuscitate a health care provider can not do CPR if a patient’s breathing stops or if the patient’s heart stops beating.

Question 27

Living Will

Answer 27

legal document that spells out medical treatments you would and would not want to be used to keep you alive.

Question 28

Uniform Anatomical Gift Act

Answer 28

allows a decedent or surviving relatives to donate certain parts of the decedent’s organs for certain purposes.

Question 29

Ethics

Answer 29

moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.

Question 30

Etiquette

Answer 30

the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group.

Question 31

Bioethics

Answer 31

the study of ethical, social, and legal issues that arise in biomedicine and biomedical research.

Question 32

Emancipated Minor

Answer 32

May not vote, smoke, drink alcohol, possess tobacco or firearms until they reach the legal age to do so