Nurses interact with the police in a number of different ways. They may be asked to respond to inquiries from police or provide a copy of a patient’s chart because they have assessed and treated patients who are alleged victims or suspected perpetrators of crimes. In some instances, a nurse’s own conduct or the conduct…
Read MoreGood communication is essential to good health care. In most Canadian lawsuits against doctors and hospitals, there was a breakdown in communication with the patient.1 In a British Columbia case, for example, the Court found that the nurse’s failure to ask more questions of a person seeking telephone advice was negligent, saying, “Her fault lies…
Read MoreWhat legal processes could involve a community/public health nurse? The community/public health nurse may be a witness or a defendant in legal proceedings. Common legal proceedings are civil lawsuits, criminal prosecutions, professional discipline hearings, inquests, and labour arbitrations. Less common are public inquiries and human rights tribunals.1 What are the common legal issues a community/public…
Read MoreIs a nurse legally required to maintain confidentiality? Yes. There is also an ethical obligation. Legal and ethical requirements to keep patient health information confidential can be found in: Federal/provincial/territorial legislation governing personal health information, regulated health professions, health facilities, health insurance, occupational health, and privacy Court decisions The Canadian Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics…
Read MoreCPR is treatment The combination of chest compressions, artificial ventilation and medications is commonly referred to as CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Because of its potential benefit if implemented immediately, CPR has become a default treatment for cardiac arrest in many institutions, meaning that it will be implemented in all cases of cardiac arrest unless there is…
Read MoreMental Health or Hospital Acts contain specific procedures to address the issue of consent to treatment for those with a psychiatric disorder. This infoLAW will not touch on persons subject to those Acts but will focus on other adults who do not have the capacity to give or refuse consent to treatment on their own…
Read MoreConsent may be implicit or explicit. Holding out an arm to have a blood pressure taken is implicit consent, whereas an ECG or blood gases may require explicit consent. The main types of consent in the health care setting are general consent as required for admission to and basic care in a health care facility…
Read MoreCosmetic services and procedures have evolved in recent years. Since this is a relatively novel way to deliver nursing services, nurses should understand the unique liability risks when providing cosmetic services. Regulation of Cosmetic Nursing Nurses who provide cosmetic services are encouraged to confirm that they are working within their scope of practice as defined…
Read MoreKey terms we use in this InfoLAW: Plaintiff: the person or the organization who filed a civil lawsuit against someone else. Defendant: the person or the organization being sued in a civil lawsuit. What is defamation? The courts have defined a defamatory statement as one “…which tends to lower a person in the estimation of…
Read MoreIn today’s busy health-care environments, delegation is a necessary component to assisting in facilitating effective and efficient patient care. However, when traditional nursing tasks are delegated to unregulated care providers (UCP) or workers, nurses should understand the associated implications for patient safety, quality of care and their own responsibility. 1. What is delegation? Delegation occurs…
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