The nurse is caring for a patient recently diagnosed with cancer that is being asked to participate in a new chemotherapy trial. How would the nurse respond if working under the ethical principle of utilitarianism?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Compared with deontology, utilitarianism is on the opposite end of the ethical theory continuum. Utilitarianism maintains that behaviors are determined to be right or wrong solely based on their consequences. Deontology is an ethical theory that stresses the rightness or wrongness of individual behaviors, duties, and obligations without concern for the consequences of specific actions. Meeting the needs of patients while maintaining their right to privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, and dignity is consistent with the tenets of deontology. Autonomy, or self-determination, is the freedom to make decisions supported by knowledge and self-confidence. The remaining responses are examples of either deontology or autonomy.

The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient Recently Diagnosed with Cancer