Ch 22 Ethics and Values 2017

A patient is scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy. The nurse understands this procedure and knows it would be helpful for an accurate diagnosis of the patient's disease. However, the patient may experience pain and adverse effects from the procedure. Which ethical principle should guide the nurse's actions in this situation?

Nonmaleficence

The point of the ethical principal to do no harm is to reassure the public that in all ways the healthcare team not only works to heal patients but agrees to do this in the least painful and harmful way possible. Which principle describes this agreement?

Nonmaleficence Nonmaleficence refers specifically to the concept of avoiding harm.

In most ethical dilemmas in healthcare, the solution to the dilemma requires negotiation among members of the healthcare team. Why is the nurse's point of view valuable?

Nurses develop a relationship to the patient that is unique among all professional healthcare providers.

A patient is diagnosed with breast cancer. The healthcare provider educates the patient about the treatment options. The healthcare provider recommends and highly favors chemotherapy; however, the patient chooses to undergo surgery. Which is the most appropriate intervention?

Prepare the patient for surgery

A patient is scheduled for a mastectomy. Which interventions are performed out of respect for the patient's autonomy? Select all that apply.

Review the surgical procedure. Explain the risks and benefits of the procedure. Ensure that the patient reads the surgery documents and signs the consent form.

The nurse is caring for a patient with a bacterial infection. After administering an antibiotic, the nurse realizes that the wrong dose was given. The nurse immediately informs the patient and the primary healthcare provider. Which principle of the nursing code of ethics has the nurse followed?

Accountability The nurse has followed the principle of accountability. Accountability refers to the ability to answer for one's actions. The nurse realizes the mistake and informs the healthcare provider so that corrective actions can be taken.

The primary healthcare provider has prescribed medication for a patient. While caring for the patient, the nurse finds that the patient is allergic to this medication. The nurse informs the primary healthcare provider, and the provider prescribes a new medication. Which principle of the code of ethics has the nurse followed?

Advocacy

A patient is scheduled for surgery. Before the surgery the patient read the consent form and signed it. This is an example of which principle?

Autonomy

When caring for a patient, which actions should the nurse perform to maintain the standards of fidelity? Select all that apply

Be punctual. Monitor the patient's response to a given medication. Revise the care plan to provide pain relief to the patient

A child's immunization may cause discomfort during administration, but the benefits of protection from disease, both for the individual and society, outweigh the temporary discomforts. Which principle is involved in this situation?

Beneficence

A patient is in the early stages of pancreatic cancer. The healthcare provider orders chemotherapy. Which information should be given to the patient per the principle of nonmaleficence?

Chemotherapy has side effects, but the benefits outweigh the risk.

The nurse is learning about ethics in nursing practice. Which actions should the nurse perform to meet the American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics? Select all that apply.

Consider the patient as the primary commitment. Strive to protect the health and rights of the patient. Consider personal and professional growth a priority. Contribute to nursing practice and knowledge development

Arrange the key steps in resolving an ethical dilemma in the correct order.

Correct 1. Ask a question. Correct 2. Gather information. Correct 3. Clarify values. Correct 4. Verbalize the problem. Correct 5. Identify possible courses of action. Correct 6. Negotiate a plan. Correct 7. Evaluate the plan over time.

A patient in the early stages of pancreatic cancer is being treated with chemotherapy. The patient confides in the nurse that he abuses drugs and asks the nurse to keep it confidential. What should the nurse do?

Discuss it with the healthcare provider if it affects the treatment

The senior nurse is discussing ethical dilemmas with colleagues. Which statements are true about ethical dilemmas? Select all that apply.

Ethical dilemmas should be processed carefully to reduce distress and controversy. An ethical dilemma cannot be resolved solely through scientific data. Resolving ethical dilemmas is similar to the nursing process

When an ethical dilemma occurs on the unit, can nurses resolve the dilemma by taking a vote?

No; an ethical dilemma involves the resolution of conflicting values and principals rather than simply the identification of what people want to do

Which theory considers the importance of relationships in solving ethical dilemmas but lacks a focus on universal principles?

Feminist ethics

During orientation, a graduate nurse attends an ethics committee meeting to learn about ethical issues facing hospitals and health care workers. The committee is currently working on the impact of relationships on healthcare ethics. Which type of ethics focuses on the importance of relationships in the decision-making process? Select all that apply.

Feminist ethics, Ethics of care

While caring for different patients in a clinical setting, the nurse ensures that all patients receive the same treatment irrespective of their financial status or cultural practices. Which ethical principle is the nurse adhering to?

Justice

The nurse is assessing a patient who has multiple myeloma and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. This patient does not have health insurance and cannot pay out-of-pocket for the procedure. Which ethical principle should be discussed regarding the patient's condition?

Justice In this case, the principle of justice should be discussed. A major question in this situation is how to obtain financial support for the treatment. Justice involves discussion about health insurance, hospital locations and services, and even organ transplants.

In a hospital setting, the nurse has arranged an ethics committee meeting with participants from different disciplines to solve an ethical dilemma. Which step of resolving ethical dilemmas is the nurse performing?

Negotiating the outcome of action for the ethical dilemma

When the nurse assesses a patient for pain and offers a plan to manage the pain, which principal guides the nurse to monitor the patient's response to the pain?

Fidelity

The nurse educator is lecturing a group of nursing students about ethics and values. Which statement made by the student indicates a correct understanding of beneficence?

"Taking positive actions to help others is beneficence."

The nurse is explaining to students the difference between nonmaleficence and beneficence. Which information should the nurse include in the explanation to help the students understand the two concepts? Select all that apply.

1. According to the concept of beneficence, all interventions should consider the patient's best interest. 2. According to the concept of nonmaleficence, the healthcare provider should weigh the risks and benefits of the intervention before delivering it.

Which attributes are included in the nursing code of ethics? Select all that apply.

1. Advocacy 2. Responsibility 3. Accountability 4. Confidentiality

A patient is preoccupied with the feeling that she suffers from breast cancer. She asks the nurse to insist that the healthcare provider perform a mastectomy. Following several tests, the nurse finds that the patient has no symptoms of or risk factors for breast cancer. Which are ethical nursing interventions for this patient? Select all that apply.

1. Educate the patient about the risk factors of breast cancer. 2. Educate the patient on self-examination and mammography. 3. Educate the patient about her health status and promote acceptance.

Healthcare institutions establish ethics committees to process ethical dilemmas. Which are purposes of ethics committees? Select all that apply.

1. Education 2. Case consultation 3. Policy recommendation

The nurse is practicing according to the professional nursing code of ethics. Which actions are in accordance with the standards of responsibility? Select all that apply.

1. Trying to remain competent to practice 2. Being responsible for delegated tasks 3. Being willing to respect professional obligations

The nurse attends an ethics committee meeting to discuss ethical issues that hospitals and healthcare professionals face. At the end of the meeting, the members collectively agree that consensus building is the best method for the decision-making process. Which are true statements about the decision-making process? Select all that apply.

1. Unusual points should be considered respectfully 2. Respect of opinions and agreement of participants should form the base of the decision-making process

The nurse learns that building consensus is the best method for a decision-making process. Which are true statements about consensus building? Select all that apply.

1. Unusual points should be considered respectfully while striving for agreement among the participants. 2. Respect for opinions and agreement among participants should form the basis of the decision-making process

A patient with leukemia tells the nurse, "I don't want my family to know about my condition; please keep it confidential." The nurse promises to keep the information confidential while caring for the patient and keeps her word. Which ethical concept does this nursing action reflect?

Fidelity

A patient is hospitalized for the treatment of tuberculosis. The patient's friend asked the nurse about the patient's personal health information. However, the nurse refused to give the information. Which principle of the code of ethics has the nurse followed?

Confidentiality

Under which ethical principle is the patient's personal health information protected?

Confidentiality Confidentiality is a principle that is used to keep the patient's personal health information private.

Ethical dilemmas often arise over a conflict of opinion. What is the critical first step in negotiating differences of opinion?

Gather all relevant information regarding the clinical, social, and spiritual aspects of the dilemma.