NURS 110 | Legal Responsibilities & Patient Rights | 2026/2027
Update WCU
1. A nurse is caring for a patient who has been prescribed a new medication.
The nurse realizes they administered the wrong dose. What is the nurse’s first
legal and ethical priority?
A. Document the error in the patient’s medical record.
B. Call the hospital’s legal counsel for advice.
C. Complete an incident report immediately.
D. Assess the patient’s condition and notify the provider.
Answer: D
Rationale: The first priority is always patient safety. Assessing the patient allows the nurse
to identify adverse effects immediately, followed by notifying the provider to mitigate
harm. Documentation and incident reports follow.
2. Under the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA), what is a healthcare
facility’s primary legal obligation during admission?
A. To ensure every patient has a signed Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.
B. To provide written information about the right to accept or refuse treatment.
C. To assign a legal guardian to patients over the age of 65.
D. To legally represent the patient in court proceedings.
Answer: B
Rationale: The PSDA requires healthcare facilities to provide written information to
patients regarding their rights under state law to make decisions about medical care,
including the right to accept or refuse treatment and create advance directives.
,3. A nurse is sued for malpractice. Which of the following elements must the
plaintiff prove to establish a breach of duty?
A. The nurse failed to follow the established standard of care.
B. The nurse intended to cause harm to the patient.
C. The patient suffered physical pain during the procedure.
D. The nurse was working a double shift at the time of the incident.
Answer: A
Rationale: Breach of duty is defined as the failure to act in accordance with the prevailing
professional standards of care or the failure to perform a task that a reasonably prudent
nurse would have performed.
4. A nurse observes a colleague taking a photograph of a patient’s wound with a
personal smartphone. Which legal concept is being violated?
A. Assault
B. Defamation
C. Invasion of Privacy
D. False Imprisonment
Answer: C
Rationale: Invasion of privacy involves the unauthorized disclosure of confidential
information or the intrusion into a patient’s private affairs, such as taking photos without
consent for non-medical purposes.
, 5. A patient is scheduled for elective surgery. The nurse notices the patient
seems confused about the risks mentioned by the surgeon. What is the nurse’s
legal responsibility?
A. Explain the risks and benefits of the surgery to the patient.
B. Notify the surgeon that the patient does not fully understand the procedure.
C. Witness the signature and proceed with preoperative care.
D. Ask the patient’s spouse to sign the consent form instead.
Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse’s role in informed consent is to witness the signature and advocate
for the patient. If the patient lacks understanding, the nurse must notify the provider so
they can provide further clarification before consent is finalized.
6. Which ethical principle is the nurse upholding when they support a patient’s
decision to refuse life-saving chemotherapy?
A. Autonomy
B. Non-maleficence
C. Beneficence
D. Justice
Answer: A
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of the patient to make their own healthcare decisions,
even if those decisions conflict with the recommendations of the healthcare team.
7. What is the legal definition of ‘battery’ in a nursing context?
A. The actual intentional and impermissible touching of another person.
B. The threat of touching a person without consent.
C. Defaming a patient’s character in written form.
D. Confining a patient against their will using restraints.
Answer: A
Update WCU
1. A nurse is caring for a patient who has been prescribed a new medication.
The nurse realizes they administered the wrong dose. What is the nurse’s first
legal and ethical priority?
A. Document the error in the patient’s medical record.
B. Call the hospital’s legal counsel for advice.
C. Complete an incident report immediately.
D. Assess the patient’s condition and notify the provider.
Answer: D
Rationale: The first priority is always patient safety. Assessing the patient allows the nurse
to identify adverse effects immediately, followed by notifying the provider to mitigate
harm. Documentation and incident reports follow.
2. Under the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA), what is a healthcare
facility’s primary legal obligation during admission?
A. To ensure every patient has a signed Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.
B. To provide written information about the right to accept or refuse treatment.
C. To assign a legal guardian to patients over the age of 65.
D. To legally represent the patient in court proceedings.
Answer: B
Rationale: The PSDA requires healthcare facilities to provide written information to
patients regarding their rights under state law to make decisions about medical care,
including the right to accept or refuse treatment and create advance directives.
,3. A nurse is sued for malpractice. Which of the following elements must the
plaintiff prove to establish a breach of duty?
A. The nurse failed to follow the established standard of care.
B. The nurse intended to cause harm to the patient.
C. The patient suffered physical pain during the procedure.
D. The nurse was working a double shift at the time of the incident.
Answer: A
Rationale: Breach of duty is defined as the failure to act in accordance with the prevailing
professional standards of care or the failure to perform a task that a reasonably prudent
nurse would have performed.
4. A nurse observes a colleague taking a photograph of a patient’s wound with a
personal smartphone. Which legal concept is being violated?
A. Assault
B. Defamation
C. Invasion of Privacy
D. False Imprisonment
Answer: C
Rationale: Invasion of privacy involves the unauthorized disclosure of confidential
information or the intrusion into a patient’s private affairs, such as taking photos without
consent for non-medical purposes.
, 5. A patient is scheduled for elective surgery. The nurse notices the patient
seems confused about the risks mentioned by the surgeon. What is the nurse’s
legal responsibility?
A. Explain the risks and benefits of the surgery to the patient.
B. Notify the surgeon that the patient does not fully understand the procedure.
C. Witness the signature and proceed with preoperative care.
D. Ask the patient’s spouse to sign the consent form instead.
Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse’s role in informed consent is to witness the signature and advocate
for the patient. If the patient lacks understanding, the nurse must notify the provider so
they can provide further clarification before consent is finalized.
6. Which ethical principle is the nurse upholding when they support a patient’s
decision to refuse life-saving chemotherapy?
A. Autonomy
B. Non-maleficence
C. Beneficence
D. Justice
Answer: A
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of the patient to make their own healthcare decisions,
even if those decisions conflict with the recommendations of the healthcare team.
7. What is the legal definition of ‘battery’ in a nursing context?
A. The actual intentional and impermissible touching of another person.
B. The threat of touching a person without consent.
C. Defaming a patient’s character in written form.
D. Confining a patient against their will using restraints.
Answer: A
