Chapter 6: Values, Ethics, and Advocacy

A nurse working on a critical care unit was informed by a client with multiple sclerosis that the client did not wish to be resuscitated in the event of cardiac arrest. Now the client is no longer able to express wishes, and the family has informed the physician that they want the client to be resuscitated. Aware of the client's wishes, the nurse is involved in a situation that may involve:

Ethical distress

Which statement by the nurse is an example of deception?

"This injection of procaine will feel like a little pinch"

A client tells the nurse that the client does not want to have a painful procedure. By respecting and supporting the client's right to make decisions, the nurse is demonstrating:

Advocacy

Which word is best described as protection and support of another's rights?

Advocacy

To practice ethically, the nurse should avoid:

Allowing the nurse's own personal judgment to guide practice

A nurse volunteers to serve on the hospital ethics committee. Which action should the nurse expect to take as a member of the ethics committee?

Assist in decision making based on the client's best interests

A client diagnosed with cancer has met with the oncologist and is now weighing whether to undergo chemotherapy or radiation for treatment. This client is demonstrating which ethical principle in making this decision?

Autonomy

Which nursing situation is an example of an ethical dilemma?

Deciding when to perform cardiac compressions against a client's wishes

What is the term for the beliefs held by the individuals about what matters?

Values

A nurse is of the Catholic faith and votes pro-life. This nurse is considered to have:

Personal values

What would be an example of the nurse practicing fidelity?

The nurse stays with a client during death as promised

Which is a characteristic of the care-based approach to bioethics?

The promotion of the dignity and respect of clients as people

Nurses who value client advocacy follow what guideline?

They give priority to the good of the individual client rather than to the good of society in general

Socialization into the nursing profession may have the most significant effect on:

Values

A nurse is administering evening medications and notices that a medication was omitted during the day shift. Which statement demonstrates the principle of accountability?

Filling out an occurrence report and notifying the healthcare provider

The nurse is caring for clients in a hospital setting. Which situations encountered by the nurse have a significant ethical component? Select all that apply*

Helping a client make end-of-life decisions Addressing a suspected breach in confidentiality Deciding when to stop CPR on a client in cardiac arrest Deciding how to reassign staff in light of budget cuts