Nursing Jurisprudence and Legal Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts of law, administrative jurisprudence, legal terms, legal liabilities, and patient care ethics from the transcript.

Law

Rules to regulate conduct, protect rights, and maintain order.

Judicial Branch

Interprets and applies the law and regulates if the government is following the constitution.

Administrative Law

Controls how government agencies operate and make decisions.

Nursing Jurisprudence

Ensures that nurses practice safely, ethically, and in line with the law.

Code of Good Governance

Enforced to ensure high standards, public safety, and ethical accountability among all registered Filipino professionals.

Service Beyond Self-Interest

Principle requiring professionals to consider the broader impact of their work on society and the public interest.

Public Law

Rules that affect society as a whole and involve the state or government.

Private Law

Governs relationships between private entities and individuals such as contracts, property, and torts.

RA 9173 – Philippine Nursing Act of 2002

Main law regulating nursing education, practice, and licensure.

Assault

An illegal threat without physical touch yet.

False Imprisonment

Restricting a patient’s freedom against their will.

Invasion of Privacy

An illegal act exemplified by not closing curtains during an examination.

Negligence

Failure to use the level of care that a normal, reasonable person would use in the same situation.

Malpractice

A failure by a professional to follow accepted standards of work which leads to harm or loss.

Accessory

A person who helps after the crime has been done.

Manslaughter

Unlawful killing of a human being without malice or the specific intent to kill.

Misdemeanor

Also known as bad behavior or low-level crime.

Mitigating Circumstance

A condition such as voluntary surrender after committing negligence that lessens or affects liability.

Summon

An order to appear in court to answer charges or a complaint.

Professional Integrity and Accountability

Requires practitioners to perform duties honestly, remain free of conflicts of interest, and avoid actions that compromise ethical judgment.

Force Majeure

An event beyond human control that prevents fulfillment of duty or responsibility.

Informed Consent

Ensures client participation in healthcare decisions.

Nurses’ Notes

Documentation that should include not only medical procedures and medications but also observations of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes.

Res Ipsa Loquitur

A doctrine applied when an accident is so obvious that carelessness is automatically assumed without needing extra proof.

Alternative Circumstance

A condition where liability increases if habitual, but may reduce liability if not habitual.

Standard

Desired and achievable level of performance against which actual practice is compared.

Defamation

Damaging another person’s reputation through false statements.

Advance Directives

Legal documents that allow a patient to state their preferences for medical care if they become unable to communicate.

Implied Consent

A situation where no consent is needed because delay will cause harm or death; the law assumes the patient would consent to life-saving care.