The nurse believes that her need for individual malpractice insurance is decreased because she practices in a small-town home health agency. What is true about this situation?
1. Residents of small towns are less likely to bring suit than residents of urban areas.
2. Nurses working in home health are covered by mandatory federal malpractice insurance policies.
3. Home health care is an area in which the risk of lawsuit is higher than in many other practice areas.
4. Slower paced environments, such as home health care, are less likely to create situations in which the nurse makes an error.
3
Rationale: Home health care joins critical care, emergency departments, operating rooms, and maternal/child care as areas where the risk of lawsuits is higher. In home health care, the nurse is making many independent decisions daily and does not have easy access to others for consultation. There is not a federal malpractice policy for nurses. There is no guarantee that a resident of a small town will not be just as suit-prone as a resident in an urban area.
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