Medical, Legal, and Ethical Issues in EMS

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to medical, legal, and ethical issues in emergency medical services.

Consent

Permission to render care; a conscious and rational patient has the legal right to refuse care.

Implied Consent

Assumed consent for treatment in emergency situations where the patient is unable to give consent, typically when unconscious.

Expressed Consent

The patient explicitly acknowledges they want you to provide care, requiring informed consent about treatment and risks.

Negligence

Failure to provide the same care that a person with similar training would provide in a similar situation.

Abandonment

Unilateral termination of care by an EMT without the patient's consent or without making provisions for continuing care.

Good Samaritan Laws

Laws that protect individuals from legal liability when they provide reasonable assistance to those who are injured or in danger.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; a law that protects patient privacy and confidentiality.

Advance Directive

A written document that specifies medical treatment preferences should the patient become unable to communicate.

Tort

A civil wrong that causes harm or loss to another person, resulting in legal liability.

Forcible Restraint

Legally permissible intervention to restrict a patient's movements, usually in the case of a combative individual.

Consent

Permission to render care; a conscious and rational patient has the legal right to refuse care.

Implied Consent

Assumed consent for treatment in emergency situations where the patient is unable to give consent, typically when unconscious.

Expressed Consent

The patient explicitly acknowledges they want you to provide care, requiring informed consent about treatment and risks.

Negligence

Failure to provide the same care that a person with similar training would provide in a similar situation.

Abandonment

Unilateral termination of care by an EMT without the patient's consent or without making provisions for continuing care.

Good Samaritan Laws

Laws that protect individuals from legal liability when they provide reasonable assistance to those who are injured or in danger.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; a law that protects patient privacy and confidentiality.

Advance Directive

A written document that specifies medical treatment preferences should the patient become unable to communicate.

Tort

A civil wrong that causes harm or loss to another person, resulting in legal liability.

Forcible Restraint

Legally permissible intervention to restrict a patient's movements, usually in the case of a combative individual.

Signs of Death

The definitive signs of death include rigor mortis, lividity (dependent lividity), putrefaction (decomposition), and decapitation/massive trauma incompatible with life.