RAD 121 Vocab List #1

Advance directive

A legal written statement of a person’s wishes regarding medical treatment at the end of life

Assault

intentionally causing someone else to fear imminent violence or harm to themselves

Autonomy

A patient’s right to self determination and independent decision-making regarding their own healthcare and body

Battery

the unlawful inflection of force. This includes respecting the patient’s wishes to refuse treatment. Therefore, it can include performing an exam against the patient’s wishes or radiographing the wrong body part

Beneficence

Ethical duty of healthcare workers to do good and act in the best interest of their patients

Bias

A systematic error or personal prejudice that skews data, research results, or clinical decisions away from the truth

Confidentiality

Keeping patient’s health information secret

Defamation

False statement presented as fact that is communicated to a third party or harms a person’s or organization’s reputation

Durable power of attorney

Legal document that names a trusted person to make medical decisions for the patient if they are unable to

Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

Digital format of patient medical records

Ethics

Internal moral principles that guide our actions when interacting our patients and law, which is an external mechanism of control, rules developed by governments in order to provide balance in society and protection to its citizens

False imprisonment

Unjustifiable detention of a person against his and/or her will

Fidelity

a medical professional’s loyalty, support and commitment to the promises they made within the healthcare profession

HIPAA

Stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to protect the privacy rights of patients

Immobilization

the process of stopping something or someone from moving if the least restrictive method is only used for the time it takes to make the radiographic exposures, it can be considered as positioning aid and does not require a specific physician order

Informed consent

Necessary for any procedure that involves substantial risk or considered experimental

Libel

Written malicious spreading of information that causes defamation of character or loss of reputation

Living will

document that ensures the advance directive is carries out should the person be unable to communicate them to a doctor

Malpractice

any act or omission by a physician or medical professional during care or treatment of a patient that deviates from accepted norms of practice in the medical community and causes an injury to the patient

Negligence

when a healthcare professional fails to provide the standard of care that would be reasonably expected of them, which results in injury or harm to the patient

Nonmaleficence

Ethical principle that obligates healthcare providers to do no harm to their patients

Res ipsa loquitur

Means “the thing speaks for itself” when things are so apparent that it would be obvious to anyone

Respondeat superior

Means “let the master respond” in which the employer is liable for the employees’ negligent act

Slander

Verbal malicious spreading of information that causes defamation of character or loss of reputation

Tort

an act or omission that gives rise to injury or harm to another and amounts to a civil wrongful for which courts impose liability