Ethical Principles

Advocating for enhanced mental health services in an underserved neighborhood

Justice

The duty to be honest or truthful

Veracity

Involves any action that causes a person to fear being touched, without consent or authority, in a way that is offensive, insulting, or physically injurious

Assault

Involves harmful or unwarranted contact with a client; actual harm or injury may or may not have occurred

Battery

Refers to one's duty to benefit or to promote good for others

Beneficence

A client with persistent depression is considering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The nurse has seen ECT be effective in other cases. When the client expresses fear and doubt about undergoing ECT, the nurse tries to talk the client into it, because the nurse truly believes it will help the client. Which two ethical concepts are in conflict?

Beneficence and Autonomy

Faithfulness to duties, obligations, and promises.

Fidelity

Refers to the obligation to honor commitments and contracts

Fidelity

The nurse tells the client, "I will return to give you pain medication in 1 hour." The nurse returns in 1 hour.

Fidelity

Which ethical principle requires a nurse to prevent clients from harming themselves or others?

Nonmaleficence

Threatening to give a patient a shot is:

assault