Chapter 6 Values, Ethics, and Advocacy
A student nurse begins a clinical rotation in a long-term care facility and quickly realizes that certain residents have unmet needs. The student wants to advocate for these residents. Which statements reflect a correct understanding of advocacy? Select all that apply. a. Advocacy is the protection and support of another's rights. b. Patient advocacy is primarily done by nurses. c. Patients with special advocacy needs include the very young and the elderly, those who are seriously ill, and those with disabilities. d. Nurse advocates make good health care decisions for patients and residents. e. Nurse advocates do whatever patients and residents want. f. Effective advocacy may entail becoming politically active.
a, c, f. Advocacy is the protection and support of another's rights. Among the patients with special advocacy needs are the very young and the elderly, those who are seriously ill, and those with disabilities; this is not a comprehensive list. Effective advocacy may entail becoming politically active. Patient advocacy is the responsibility of every member of the professional caregiving team—not just nurses. Nurse advocates do not make health care decisions for their patients and residents. Instead, they facilitate their decision making. Advocacy does not entail supporting patients in all their preferences.
When an older nurse complains to a younger nurse that nurses just aren't ethical anymore, which reply reflects the best understanding of moral development? a. "Behaving ethically develops gradually from childhood; maybe my generation doesn't value this enough to develop an ethical code." b. "I don't agree that nurses were more ethical in the past. It's a new age and the ethics are new!" c. "Ethics is genetically determined ... it's like having blue or brown eyes. Maybe we're evolving out of the ethical sense your generation had." d. "I agree! It's impossible to be ethical when working in a practice setting like this!"
a. The ability to be ethical, to make decisions, and to act in an ethically justified manner begins in childhood and develops gradually.
A professional nurse committed to the principle of autonomy would be careful to: a. Provide the information and support a patient needed to make decisions to advance one's own interests b. Treat each patient fairly, trying to give everyone his or her due c. Keep any promises made to a patient or another professional caregiver d. Avoid causing harm to a patient
a. The principle of autonomy obligates nurses to provide the information and support patients and their surrogates need to make decisions that advance their interests. Acting with justice means giving each person his or her due, acting with fidelity involves keeping promises to patients, and acting with nonmaleficence means avoiding doing harm to patients.
A nurse caring for patients in the intensive care unit develops values from experience to form a personal code of ethics. Which statements best describe a characteristic of the development of a personal value system? Select all that apply. a. People are born with values. b. Values act as standards to guide behavior. c. Values are ranked on a continuum of importance. d. Values influence beliefs about health and illness. e. Value systems are not related to personal codes of conduct. f. Nurses should not let their values influence patient care.
b, c, d. A value is a belief about the worth of something, about what matters, which acts as a standard to guide one's behavior. A value system is an organization of values in which each is ranked along a continuum of importance, often leading to a personal code of conduct. A person's values influence beliefs about human needs, health, and illness; the practice of health behaviors; and human responses to illness. Values guide the practice of nursing care. An individual is not born with values; rather, values are formed during a lifetime from information from the environment, family, and culture.
A nurse who is working in a hospital setting after graduation from a local college uses value clarification to help understand the values that motivate patient behavior. Which examples denote "prizing" in the process of values clarification? Select all that apply. a. A patient decides to quit smoking following a diagnosis of lung cancer. b. A patient shows off a new outfit that she is wearing after losing 20 pounds. c. A patient chooses to work fewer hours following a stress-related myocardial infarction. d. A patient incorporates a new low-cholesterol diet into his daily routine. e. A patient joins a gym and schedules classes throughout the year. f. A patient proudly displays his certificate for completing a marathon.
b, f. Prizing something one values involves pride, happiness, and public affirmation, such as losing weight or running a marathon. When choosing, one chooses freely from alternatives after careful consideration of the consequences of each alternative, such as quitting smoking and working fewer hours. Finally, the person who values something acts by combining choice into one's behavior with consistency and regularity on the value, such as joining a gym for the year and following a low-cholesterol diet faithfully.
Janie wants to call an ethics consult to clarify treatment goals for a patient no longer able to speak for himself. She believes his dying is being prolonged painfully. She is troubled when the patient's doctor tells her that she'll be fired if she raises questions about his care or calls the consult. This is a good example of: a. Ethical uncertainty b. Ethical distress c. Ethical dilemma d. Ethical residue
b. Ethical distress results from knowing the right thing to do but finding it almost impossible to execute because of institutional or other constraints (in this case, fear of losing her job). Ethical uncertainty results from feeling troubled by a situation but not knowing if it is an ethical problem. Ethical dilemmas occur when the principles of bioethics justify two or more conflicting courses of action. Ethical residue is what nurses experience when they seriously compromise themselves or allow themselves to be compromised.
A professional nurse with a commitment to social justice is most apt to: a. Provide honest information to patients and the public b. Promote universal access to health care c. Plan care in partnership with patients d. Document care accurately and honestly
b. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing lists promoting universal access to health care as an example of social justice. Providing honest information and documenting care accurately and honestly are examples of integrity, and planning care in partnership with patients is an example of autonomy.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing identified five values that epitomize the caring professional nurse. Which of these is best described as acting in accordance with an appropriate code of ethics and accepted standards of practice? a. Altruism b. Autonomy c. Human dignity d. Integrity
d. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing defines integrity as acting in accordance with an appropriate code of ethics and accepted standards of practice. Altruism is a concern for the welfare and well-being of others. Autonomy is the right to self-determination, and human dignity is respect for the inherent worth and uniqueness of individuals and populations.
Five-year-old Bobby has dietary modifications related to his diabetes. His parents want him to value good nutritional habits and they decide to deprive him of a favorite TV program when he becomes angry after they deny him foods not on his diet. This is an example of what mode of value transmission? a. Modeling b. Moralizing c. Laissez-faire d. Rewarding and punishing
d. When rewarding and punishing are used to transmit values, children are rewarded for demonstrating values held by parents and punished for demonstrating unacceptable values. Through modeling, children learn what is of high or low value by observing parents, peers, and significant others. Children whose caregivers use the moralizing mode of value transmission are taught a complete value system by parents or an institution (e.g., church or school) that allows little opportunity for them to weigh different values. Those who use the laissez-faire approach to value transmission leave children to explore values on their own (no single set of values is presented as best for all) and to develop a personal value system.
A home health nurse who performs a careful safety assessment of the home of a frail elderly patient to prevent harm to the patient is acting in accordance with which of the principles of bioethics? a. Autonomy b. Beneficence c. Justice d. Fidelity e. Nonmaleficence
e. Nonmaleficence is defined as the obligation to prevent harm. Autonomy is respect for another's right to make decisions, beneficence obligates us to benefit the patient, justice obligates us to act fairly, and fidelity obligates us to keep our promises.
