Nurse B arrives for his regular night shift at a care facility for the aged. Because of a family emergency, he has slept only 3 hours since his last shift. One of Nurse B's aides calls in sick, and there is no one to replace the aide that night
With no help available, Nurse B lifts an obese patient from a wheelchair into a bed on his own. Short on time and help, Nurse B decides to skip the patient's evening bath. Legally, what does Nurse B most likely face? A) Little risk of liability because he is doing his best under difficult circumstances
B) Immediate discipline or dismissal for dereliction of duty
C) Liability if a pattern of negligence is part of his performance evaluation
D) A high risk of liability for his actions
D
Feedback:
Situations that increase the risk of liability include working with insufficient resources, failing to follow policies and procedures, taking shortcuts, and working when feeling highly stressed. All those factors are present in the case study.
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