Emt-B Chapter 3

Front 1

Abandonment

Back 1

Unilateral termination of care by the EMT without the patient's consent and without making provisions for transferring care to another medical professional with the skills and training necessary to meet the needs of the patient.

Front 2

Advance directive

Back 2

Written documentation that specifies medical treatment for a competent patient should the patient become unable to make decisions; also called a living will or health care directive.

Front 3

Applied ethics

Back 3

The manner in which principles of ethics are incorporated into professional conduct.

Front 4

Assault

Back 4

Unlawfully placing a patient in fear of bodily harm.

Front 5

Battery

Back 5

Touching a patient or providing emergency care without consent.

Front 6

Bioethics

Back 6

The study of ethics related to issues that arise in health care.

Front 7

Breach of confidentiality

Back 7

Disclosure of information without proper authorization.

Front 8

Compensatory damages

Back 8

Damages awarded in a civil suit that are intended to restore the plaintiff to the same condition that he or she was in prior to the incident complained about in the lawsuit.

Front 9

Competent

Back 9

Able to make rational decisions about personal well-being.

Front 10

Consent

Back 10

Permission to render care.

Front 11

Contributary negligence

Back 11

A legal defense that may be raised when the defendant feels that the conduct of the plaintiff somehow contributed to any injuries or damages that were sustained by the plaintiff.

Front 12

Decision making capacity

Back 12

Ability to understand and process information and make a choice regarding appropriate medical care.

Front 13

Defamation

Back 13

The communication of false information about a person that is damaging to that person's reputation or standing in the community.

Front 14

Dependent lividity

Back 14

Blood settling to the lowest point of the body, causing discoloration of the skin.

Front 15

Depositions

Back 15

Oral questions asked of parties and witnesses under oath.

Front 16

Discovery

Back 16

The phase of a civil suit where the plaintiff and defense obtain information from each other that will enable the attorneys to have a better understanding of the case and which will assist in negotiating a possible settlement or in preparing for trial. Discovery includes depositions, interrogatories, and demands for production of records.

Front 17

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders

Back 17

Written documentation by a physician giving permission to medical personnel to not attempt resuscitation in the event of a cardiac arrest.

Front 18

Durable power of attorney for health care

Back 18

A type of advance directive executed by a competent adult that appoints another individual to make medical treatment decisions on his or her behalf in the event that the person making the appointment loses decision making capacity.

Front 19

Duty to act

Back 19

A medicolegal term relating to certain personnel who either by statute or by function have a responsibility to provide care.

Front 20

Emancipated minors

Back 20

A person who is under the legal age in a given state but, because of other circumstances, is legally considered an adult.

Front 21

Emergency

Back 21

A serious situation, such as injury or illness, that threatens the life or welfare of a person or group of people and requires immediate intervention.

Front 22

Emergency doctrine

Back 22

The principle of law that permits a health care provider to treat a patient in an emergency situation when the patient is incapable of granting consent because of an altered level of consciousness, disability, the effects of drugs or alcohol, or the patient's age.

Front 23

Emergency medical care

Back 23

Immediate care or treatment.

Front 24

Ethics

Back 24

The philosophy or right and wrong, of moral duties, and of ideal professional behavior.

Front 25

Expressed consent

Back 25

A type of consent in which a patient gives express authorization for provision of care or transport.

Front 26

False imprisonment

Back 26

The confinement of a person without legal authority or the person's consent.

Front 27

Forcible restraint

Back 27

The act of physically preventing an individual from initiating any physical action.

Front 28

Good Samaritan Laws

Back 28

Statutory provisions enacted by many states to protect citizens from liability for errors and omissions in giving good faith emergency medical care, unless there is wanton, gross, or willful negligence.

Front 29

Governmental immunity

Back 29

If your service is covered by immunity, it may mean that you cannot be sued or it may limit the amount of the monetary judgment that the plaintiff may recover; generally applies only to EMS services that are operated by municipalities or other governmental entities.

Front 30

Gross negligence

Back 30

Conduct that constitutes a willful or reckless disregard for a duty or standard of care.

Front 31

Health care directive

Back 31

A written document that specifies medical treatment for a competent patient, should he or she become unable to make decisions. Also known as an advance directive or living will.

Front 32

Health care proxies

Back 32

A type of advance directive executed by a competent adult that appoints another individual to make medical treatment decisions on his or her behalf in the event that the person making the appointment loses decision making capacity. Also known as a durable power of attorney for health care.

Front 33

Implied consent

Back 33

Type of consent in which a patient who is unable to give consent is given treatment under the legal assumption that he or she would want treatment.

Front 34

Informed consent

Back 34

Permission for treatment given by a competent patient after the potential risks, benefits, and alternatives to treatment have been explained.

Front 35

In loco parentis

Back 35

Refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parents.

Front 36

Interrogatories

Back 36

Written questions that the defense and plaintiff send to one other.

Front 37

Kidnapping

Back 37

The seizing, confining, abducting, or carrying away of a person by force, including transporting a competent adult for medical treatment without his or her consent.

Front 38

Libel

Back 38

False and damaging information about a person that is communicated in writing.

Front 39

Medicolegal

Back 39

A term relating to medical jurisprudence (law) or forensic medicine.

Front 40

Morality

Back 40

A code of conduct that can be defined by society, religion, or a person, affecting character, conduct, and conscience.

Front 41

Negligence

Back 41

Failure to provide the same care that a person with similar training would provide.

Front 42

Negligence per se

Back 42

A theory that may be used when the conduct of the person being sued is alleged to have occurred in clear violation of a statute.

Front 43

Patient autonomy

Back 43

The right of a patient to make informed choices regarding his or her health care.

Front 44

Precedence

Back 44

Basing current action on lessons, rules, or guidelines derived from previous similar experiences.

Front 45

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Back 45

Any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to an individual. This is interpreted rather broadly and includes any part of a patient's medical record or payment history.

Front 46

Proximate causation

Back 46

When a person who has a duty abuses it, and causes harm to another individual, the EMT, the agency, and/or the medical director may be sued for negligence.

Front 47

Punitive damages

Back 47

Damages that are sometimes awarded in a civil suit when the conduct of the defendant was intentional or constituted a reckless disregard for the safety of the public.

Front 48

Putrefaction

Back 48

Decomposition of body tissues.

Front 49

Res ipsa loquitor

Back 49

When the EMT or an EMS service is held liable even when the plaintiff is unable to clearly demonstrate how an injury occurred.

Front 50

Rigor mortis

Back 50

Stiffening of the body; a definitive sign of death.

Front 51

Scope of practice

Back 51

Most commonly defined by state law; outlines the care you are able to provide for the patient.

Front 52

Slander

Back 52

False and damaging information about a person that is communicated by the spoken word.

Front 53

Standard of care

Back 53

Written, accepted levels of emergency care expected by reason of training and profession; written by legal or professional organizations so that patients are not exposed to unreasonable risk or harm.

Front 54

Statute of limitations

Back 54

The time within which a case must be commenced.

Front 55

Tort

Back 55

A wrongful act that gives rise to a civil suit.