The local health department has been criticized for not providing effe

The local health department has been criticized for not providing effective communicable disease control programs. What ethical problem should the population health nurse identify that the health department is committing?

1. Negligence at the population level.
2. Breach of contract at the population level.
3. Abandonment at the individual level.
4. Variance of care at the individual level.

ESSAYBID ANSWER

Answer: 1
Explanation: 1. Negligence is the failure to act in a situation as a reasonably prudent nurse would if faced with the same situation. Failure of a local health department to provide effective communicable disease control programs could be considered an example of negligence at the population level. Breach of contract occurs when a managed care organization drops a client from the plan without adequate justification or when the system fails to pay for care that should be covered by the plan. Abandonment occurs when the case manager terminates services to a client with continuing needs without notifying the client or arranging for services from another provider. Variances are deviations from the typical path, which is not the best description of this situation.