■ An incident report must be completed whenever there is a loss of personal belongings, injury, medication error, or any event that deviates from expected care processes.

■ The missing dentures are considered a client property loss, which represents a reportable safety and accountability concern in hospital settings.

■ Completing an incident report allows the facility to document the situation objectively, investigate what occurred, and implement measures to prevent recurrence.

■ While it does not imply negligence or blame, the report becomes part of the institution’s risk management and quality improvement efforts, fulfilling the nurse’s responsibility in maintaining transparency and safety.

■ Each State Board of Nursing (BON) provides the legal scope of practice for LPNs/LVNs, outlining their roles, responsibilities, and limitations within the healthcare system.

■ These boards regulate licensure and ensure public safety by issuing practice acts that detail what tasks LPNs are legally permitted to perform in various clinical settings, including med-surg units.

■ Unlike facility policies or textbooks, the BON offers the most current, authoritative, and enforceable guidelines that reflect state-specific legal requirements.

■ Nurses are professionally accountable to comply with their state's practice laws, and understanding them is critical to avoid scope-of-practice violations and potential disciplinary action.

■ Nonmaleficence is a core ethical principle in nursing that obligates the nurse to "do no harm" and actively avoid causing injury to clients.

■ It involves avoiding both intentional and unintentional harm, such as errors in medication administration or unsafe interventions, reflecting the nurse’s duty of clinical caution and protective care.

■ This principle is central to safe nursing practice and aligns with legal standards that prevent negligence, malpractice, or reckless behavior.

■ Nonmaleficence works hand-in-hand with beneficence but is distinct in its focus on harm avoidance, reinforcing ethical conduct in all client interactions.

Correct Answer Rationale – Providing postmortem care to a client who has just passed away.

◉ Postmortem care is a non-complex, routine task that involves preparing the body for the morgue and can be safely delegated to trained assistive personnel (AP).

◉ This task does not require clinical decision-making or assessment, making it appropriate within the AP's role and training scope.

◉ The nurse retains responsibility for verifying death and confirming any family/cultural preferences, but the physical care tasks can be delegated.

◉ Delegating postmortem care allows the nurse to prioritize more complex clinical duties without compromising respectful handling of the deceased.

Correct Answer Rationale – Transferring a client to radiology for x-rays.

◉ Transferring a stable client to radiology is within the scope of an AP, especially when no critical monitoring or interventions are needed during transport.

◉ The nurse must ensure the client is stable and provide any relevant handoff instructions before delegating.

◉ This supports safe and efficient workflow, allowing the nurse to allocate time for higher-priority tasks requiring clinical judgment.

◉ Delegation of transport supports team-based care and is a standard practice in medical-surgical units.

■ Adhering to nursing standards of practice is the most effective way to protect against claims of negligence or malpractice, as these standards define safe, competent care.

■ Standards of practice are developed by national organizations and boards to ensure that care delivery meets professional, ethical, and legal expectations.

■ Documentation, assessments, interventions, and communication that reflect established standards provide legal protection and accountability.

■ Nurses who consistently follow these guidelines demonstrate due diligence and reduce risk exposure by acting within their scope and evidence-based protocols.