Deck 7: Nursing Values and Ethics

Question 1

The patient tells the nurse that she is afraid to speak up regarding her desire to end care for fear of upsetting her husband and children.Which principle in the nursing code of ethics ensures that the nurse will promote the patient's cause?

A)Responsibility.
B)Advocacy.
C)Confidentiality.
D)Accountability.

Answer 1

Advocacy.

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of ethical responsibility?

A)Delivery of competent care.
B)Formation of interpersonal relationships.
C)Application of the nursing process.
D)Evaluation of new computerized technologies.

Answer 2

Delivery of competent care.

Question 3

A nurse argues that the health care system needs reform because a large number of patients are uninsured and end up needing expensive emergency care when low-cost measures covered by insurance could have prevented their illnesses.What ethical framework is she using to make this case?

A)Deontology.
B)Ethics of care.
C)Feminist ethics.
D)Utilitarianism.

Answer 3

Utilitarianism.

Question 4

The nurse is caring for a patient supported with a ventilator who has been unresponsive since arrival via ambulance 8 days ago.The patient has not been identified,and no family members have been found.The nurse is concerned about the plan of care regarding maintenance or withdrawal of life support measures.The nurse determines that this is an ethical dilemma not resolved by scientific data.Place the steps the nurse will use to resolve this ethical dilemma in the correct order.

A)The nurse identifies possible solutions or actions to resolve the dilemma.
B)The nurse reviews the medical record,including entries by all health care disciplines,to gather information relevant to this patient's situation.
C)Health care providers use negotiation to redefine the patient's plan of care.
D)The nurse evaluates the plan and revises it with input from other health care providers as necessary.
E)The nurse arranges a meeting with health care team members to clarify opinions,values,and facts.
F)The nurse states the problem.

Question 5

Four patients in labour all request epidural analgesia to manage their pain at the same time.Which ethical principle is compromised when only one nurse anaesthetist is on call?

A)Justice.
B)Nonmaleficence.
C)Beneficence.
D)Fidelity.

Question 6

When individuals work together to solve ethical dilemmas,they must examine their own values.This step is crucial to ensure what?

A)The group identifies the one correct solution.
B)Fact is separated from opinion.
C)Judgemental attitudes are not provoked.
D)Different perspectives are respected.

Question 7

The nurse finds it difficult to care for a patient whose advance directive states that no extraordinary resuscitation measures should be taken.Which step may help the nurse to find resolution in this assignment?

A)Calling for an ethical committee consult.
B)Declining the assignment on religious grounds.
C)Clarifying the nurse's own personal values.
D)Persuading the family to challenge the directive.

Question 8

Which philosophy of health care ethics would be particularly useful for making ethical decisions about vulnerable populations?

A)Feminist ethics.
B)Deontology.
C)Bioethics.
D)Utilitarianism.

Question 9

The patient's son requests to view the documentation in his mother's medical record.What is the nurse's best response to this request?

A)"I'll be happy to get that for you."
B)"You will have to talk to the physician about that."
C)"You will need your mother's permission."
D)"You are not allowed to see it."

Question 10

During a severe respiratory epidemic,the local health care organizations decide to give health care providers priority access to ventilators over other members of the community who also need that resource.Which philosophy would give the strongest support for this decision?

A)Feminist ethics.
B)Utilitarianism.
C)Deontology.
D)Ethics of care.

Question 11

The nurse values autonomy above all other principles.With which patient will the nurse find most difficult to deal with the situation?

A)Teenager in labour who requests epidural anaesthesia.
B)Middle-aged father of three with an advance directive declining life support.
C)Elderly patient who requires dialysis.
D)Family elder who is making the decisions for a 30-year-old female member.

Question 12

A young pregnant woman whose fetus has been exposed to multiple teratogens consents to undergo serial percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS)to examine how exposure affects the fetus over time.Although these tests will not improve the fetus's outcomes and will expose it to some risks,the information gathered may help infants in the future.Which ethical principle is at greatest risk?

A)Autonomy.
B)Fidelity.
C)Nonmaleficence.
D)Beneficence.

Question 13

How are determinations regarding quality of life characterized?

A)They are based on a person's ability to act according to ethical principles.
B)They are based on a patient's self-determination.
C)They are value judgements that can vary from person to person.
D)They are consistent and stable over the course of one's lifetime.

Question 14

The nurse has become aware that narcotics are missing in the patient care area.Which ethical principle obligates the nurse to report the missing medications?

A)Advocacy.
B)Responsibility.
C)Confidentiality.
D)Accountability.

Question 15

A high school teacher with advanced multiple sclerosis teaches from her wheelchair but insists on being treated the same as other colleagues.Which of the following is the teacher demonstrating?

A)Preserving dignity.
B)Choosing from alternatives.
C)Considering all consequences.
D)Acting with a pattern of consistency.

Question 16

Ethical dilemmas are common occurrences in the care of patients.The nurse understands that dilemmas are a result of which of the following?

A)Presence of conflicting values.
B)Hierarchical systems.
C)Judgemental perceptions of patients.
D)Poor communication with the patient.

Question 17

The nurse is caring for a severely ill patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)who now requires ventilator support.Which intervention is considered futile?

A)Administering the influenza vaccine.
B)Providing oral care every 5 hours.
C)Applying fentanyl patches as needed for pain.
D)Supporting the patient's lower extremities with pillows.

Question 18

The nurse questions a physician's order to administer a placebo to the patient.The nurse's action is based on which ethical principle?

A)Autonomy.
B)Beneficence.
C)Justice.
D)Fidelity.