Key Concepts in Healthcare Law and Ethics

These flashcards cover key concepts related to healthcare law, ethics, and patient care standards.

Accreditation

The process by which organizations are evaluated on their quality, based on established minimum standards.

Breach of duty

The proximate (foreseeable) cause or the cause that is legally sufficient to result in liability for harm to the patient; a breach of due care.

Common law

Laws being developed through judicial decisions.

Competency

A behavior a student or staff member is expected to demonstrate.

Consumers

A person who purchases goods and services for personal use.

Constitutional law

The right to privacy.

Contract law

Laws governing insurance companies.

Continuity of care

The degree to which a series of discrete events is experienced as coherent and connected and consistent with the patient’s medical needs.

Criminal law

Laws related to committing a crime.

Cultural competence

The ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Disparities in healthcare

Differences and gaps in the quality of health and healthcare across racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups.

DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)

A form of advance directive that means no resuscitation should occur if the patient’s condition indicates a need for it.

Emancipation

The process of being set free from legal, social, or political restrictions.

EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act)

Requires all hospitals to screen and stabilize patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Empower

To give power to another.

Ethics

A standardized code or guide to behaviors.

Ethical decision-making

The process of resolving dilemmas involving conflicting ethical principles.

Good Samaritan Laws

Laws that protect individuals who provide aid voluntarily within their scope of practice.

Health literacy

The ability to understand and use health information.

Healthcare fraud

The intentional deception or misrepresentation of fact to gain an unfair or unlawful benefit.

Healthy People 2030

A federal initiative aimed at improving the health of all citizens in the United States.

Informed consent

Permission required by law to disclose medical information for informed decision-making.

Jurisprudence

Theoretical study of law.

Laws affecting end of life care

Legal provisions, such as the Compassion Care Act, promoting advanced care planning.

Learning theories

Concepts explaining how individuals acquire, process, retain, and recall knowledge.

Malpractice

Conduct by a professional that fails to meet the standard of competence and results in patient damage.

Medical power of attorney

The authority given to one person to make healthcare decisions for another.

Moral distress

Psychological unease felt when one knows the correct action but is constrained from taking it.

Patient-centered care

Care that identifies, respects, and addresses patient differences, values, and needs.

Patient rights

Legal and ethical protections ensuring patients receive respectful and informed care.

PICOT

An acronym used to frame clinical questions: Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time.

Whistleblowing

Reporting an organization’s fraud or abuse to legal authorities.