Nur 219 Ethics

Justice

Treating all people equally regardless of their gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disease, race or ethnicity

Nonmaleficence

Do no harm, either deliberately or unintentionally

D.Autonomy

After the physician explains the surgery to a client, the nurse provides the client with information about the surgery, answers the client's questions, and allows the client to agree or refuse to have surgery. Which of the following ethical principles is best described by the nurse's actions? A.Non-maleficence B.Beneficence C.Truth telling D.Autonomy

A. Document the situation, and remain on the unit sufficient staffing levels are achieved.

At the completion of a shift, the nurse is participating in the nursing handoff during the transition from day shift to evening shift. At the time of shift change, there are not enough nurses to meet mandated nurse-patient ratios. What is the nurse's best action? A. Document the situation, and remain on the unit sufficient staffing levels are achieved. B. Document the number of nurses on the unit at shift change before leaving the unit. C. Document efforts to find short-term replacement staffing before leaving the unit. D. Temporarily delegate nursing care to unlicensed care providers.

Autonomy

The freedom of each individual to make decisions about those things that affect him or her

Fidelity

The obligation to fulfil all obligations, responsibilities, and agreements made to oneself or others

Veracity

The obligation to tell the truth (including errors or untoward events)

Justice

The school district has only 100 doses of flu vaccines for students. Creating a fair method to determine which schools will receive the vaccines is an example of which ethical principle?

C.Ethical decision making is based on knowledge, facts, and a strong commitment to right and wrong.

Which of the following should the nurse manager include in staff development classes related to ethical decision making? A.The practice of ethics is the philosophy of individual opinion and values. B.Ethical decisions made in client care are based on the opinion of the client and family. C.Ethical decision making is based on knowledge, facts, and a strong commitment to right and wrong. D.Ethical decision making in client care can only me made by an interdisciplinary team.

Veracity

patient is given twice the ordered amount of heparin through her IV for over 12 hours. Risk management is notified as well as the physician, and the patient is told what happened. This is an example of which ethical principle?

nonmaleficence

physician orders hydromorphone 2 mg IV for a patient complaining of pain. The nurse assesses the patient and notes that she has a respiratory rate of 8 breaths per minute. The nurse chooses to hold the hydromorphone based on which ethical principle?

D.Report the colleague's actions because of legal and ethical obligations.

A nurse has discovered a colleague pocketing a partial dose of an opioid despite documenting it as a waste. When confronted, the colleague acknowledges the behavior. What is the nurse's best action? A.Initiate a dialogue with the colleague about the problem of substance misuse among nurses. B.Encourage the colleague to seek outside help for substance misuse. C.Explain to the colleague that this is a serious violation of policy. D.Report the colleague's actions because of legal and ethical obligations.

A."It is the responsibility of nurses to recognize ethical dilemmas and situations."

A student nurse asks the nurse, "Why did my advisor recommend an ethics course for me?". Which of the following is the best response by the nurse? A."It is the responsibility of nurses to recognize ethical dilemmas and situations." B."Ethics must be learned in order to obey the law." C."You must have misunderstood because nurses do not have to study ethics." D."You may find studying ethics interesting."

Justice

Patient is found on the street by police and is brought to the ER. His clothes are soiled, he is unshaven, and covered with old blood. His admitting diagnosis is chronic alcoholism, esophageal varices, and end-stage liver disease. The staff argue over who will assume care of him, as he is known as a "frequent flyer." Refusing to care for him is a violation of which ethical principle?

A. Leadership qualities are demonstrated by those in formal and informal management positions.

The astute nurse manager who wishes to empower the nurses on the unit recognizes that strategies must be found to promote their leadership ability. Which of the following supports the nurse manager's knowledge of leadership? A.Leadership qualities are demonstrated by those in formal and informal management positions. B.Nurses at all levels of the organizational chart are not responsible for leadership traits. C.Leadership characteristics are not measureable on performance appraisals. D.Only top-level managers have the vision, passion, and integrity to demonstrate leadership.

Beneficence

The commitment to do good for the benefit of others

B.Contacting a health care equipment resource to rent a walker for a client to use.

The home health nurse is assessing a client and determines that she has an unsteady gait. The client tells the nurse that she has a history of falls. Which nursing action represents an advocacy role for the home health nurse? A.Listening to the client express feelings of frustration over increasing limitations. B.Contacting a health care equipment resource to rent a walker for a client to use. C.Instructing the client to contact a senior day care service. D.Reassuring the client that using a walker will prevent falls in the future.

D. Democratic

The nurse leader who empowers the staff to participate in decision-making activities is exhibiting which of the following leadership styles? A. Laissez-faire B. Situational C. Autocratic D. Democratic

B. The new staff nurse has scheduled staff journal club discussions once a month to increase current knowledge about client care issues.

The nurse manager on the orthopedic unit evaluates a new staff nurse on the night shift as a "born leader" based on which of the following leadership qualities? A.Having incomplete intake and output records on the night shift was a problem; records have been consistently complete since the new nurse has arrived. B.The new staff nurse has scheduled staff journal club discussions once a month to increase current knowledge about client care issues. C.The new staff nurse always works overtime when asked by the nurse manager. D.Incomplete shift counts for medications was first noticed by the new staff nurse.