Legal Term Review

liable

• Legally responsible

confidential

• Private or secret

malpractice

• Bad/harmful practice that injures another person

negligence

• Failure to perform duties in a reasonable and customary way

libel

• Communicating something untruthful and harmful about another person in writing

ethics

• Dealing with what is good or bad, determining moral duty and obligation

jurisprudent

• Understanding the science or philosophy of law

moral

• Relating to principles of right or wrong

legal

• Deriving authority from or founded on law

negligence

• Failure to execute the care that is reasonable/prudent person exercises

slander

• Verbally communicating something untruthful and harmful about another person

Assault

• A threat or an attempt to injure another person in an illegal manner

Civil law

• Defines the legal relationships between individuals

battery

• Unlawful touching of another person w/o consent, with or w/o injury

breach

• Breaking the law, an obligation, or the terms of a contract

will

• Written document that allows person to distribute property after death

Illegal restraint

• Holding or detaining a person against his will

Crime

• Performing an act that is forbidden

ethics

• Standards of behavior

unethical

• Action that does not represent ideal behavior but may not be illegal

Criminal Law

• Defines the legal obligation between individual and state

tort

• Civil wrong

Invasion of privacy

• Unlawfully making known to the public any private/personal information w/o the consent of the wronged person

Privileged communication

• Personal private info relating to the care given by HCW

Duty of care

• By law, health care workers must perform services in a manner that meets common standards of practice

Reasonable care

• Services given in a manner appropriate to the level of education/experience of the HCW

living will

• A legal document that a person uses to make known his or her wishes regarding life-prolonging medical treatments

Power of attorney

• A document that allows you to appoint a person or organization to handle your affairs while you're unavailable or unable to do so.

DNR

• A document is a binding legal document that states resuscitation should not be attempted if a person suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest