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📚 LAWS IN NURSING - Simple Explanation

🔷 Types of Law

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🔷 TORTS (Wrongful Acts)

Two Main Types:

1. Commission - Doing something WRONG (e.g., giving wrong injection route)
2. Omission - NOT doing what you SHOULD have done (e.g., not giving prescribed medicine)

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🔴 INTENTIONAL TORTS (Done on PURPOSE)

1. Assault

A mental or physical threat to the patient - even without touching!

• Example: Threatening a patient to take medicine forcefully

2. Battery

Actually touching/wounding a patient in an offensive way

• Example: Pushing a patient's hand without consent

3. Fraud

Lying or cheating - giving false information

• Example: Telling a patient a wrong/false diagnosis

4. Invasion of Privacy

Entering someone's private space without permission

• Example: Doing unnecessary procedures, exposing patient's body, or discussing their case with others

5. False Imprisonment

Restricting a patient without legal authority

• Example: Tying/restraining a patient without a doctor's order

6. Defamation

Damaging someone's reputation

• Two types:
  • Libel = Written, pictures, or live telecast (written damage)
  • Slander = Spoken words (oral damage)

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🟡 UNINTENTIONAL TORTS (Done by MISTAKE)

1. Negligence

Nurse fails to prove reasonable care - harm happens unknowingly

• Example: Nurse transfers patient from ICU to X-ray, forgets to raise side rails, patient falls and fractures leg → This is Negligence
• ⭐ NORCET 2021 Answer: A - Negligence

2. Malpractice

Professional fails to meet accepted standard of practice causing harm/death

• More serious than negligence
• Example: A nurse or doctor's improper skill causes patient injury or death

3. Breach of Duty

Failing to perform established standard of care

• Example: A mother fails to help her child cross the street; child gets injured - mother is negligent

4. Strict Liability

You are responsible for harm from ultra-hazardous activities even if you didn't mean it

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📋 Examples of Negligence/Malpractice (Important for Exam!)

• Incompetent assessment
• Wrong patient identification
• IV flow rate errors
• Leaving surgical sponge inside patient
• Causing burns
• Medication errors
• Not following protocols
• Not preventing falls
• Not using sterile technique
• Not monitoring patient condition
• Not handing over complete report to next shift
• Not reporting patient condition changes to doctor
• Not conveying discharge instructions
• Not monitoring IV therapy complications (infiltration, phlebitis, fluid overload)

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💉 EUTHANASIA (Mercy Killing)

Intentionally ending a patient's life to relieve severe pain and suffering

Types:

Active vs Passive:

Voluntary Euthanasia = Assisted Suicide

Patient wants to die and asks someone to help bring it about

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⚠️ KEY EXAM POINTS

🚨 Euthanasia is NOT practiced in India 🚨 Euthanasia is criminal in almost all countries including India 🚨 NORCET 2021 MCQ answer - Nurse forgets side rails → patient falls = Negligence (Answer A)

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Quick Memory Trick:

• Intentional = On purpose (Assault, Battery, Fraud, Defamation, False Imprisonment, Invasion of Privacy)
• Unintentional = By mistake (Negligence, Malpractice, Breach of Duty)
• Libel = Written (both have the letter L)
• Slander = Spoken (both start with S)

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