EAQ Ch. 22 Ethics and Values

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? "Avoidance of harm or hurt is beneficence." "Support of a particular cause is beneficence." "Agreement to keep promises is beneficence." "Taking positive actions to help others is beneficence."

"Taking positive actions to help others is beneficence."

The registered nurse instructs the student nurse to administer an analgesic to a patient who has undergone appendicitis surgery, but the student nurse forgets to administer the drug and finds that the patient is suffering from severe pain. The student nurse reports the mistake to the registered nurse. Which ethical concept does the student nurse adhere to through this action? Fidelity Advocacy Confidentiality Accountability

Accountability

How can nurses negotiate differences of opinion and values with patients? Be clear about their values. Emphasize correctness of their values. Negate the patient's values. Ask the patients to accept the nurses' values.

Be clear about their values.

When caring for a patient, which actions should the nurse perform to maintain the standards of fidelity? Be punctual. Monitor the patient's response to a given medication. Revise the care plan to provide pain relief to the patient. Encourage discussion about errors with other nurses. Weigh the risks and benefits of a procedure for a patient.

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

There are seven key steps in the resolution of an ethical dilemma. Which step involves distinguishing among facts, opinions, and values? Clarifying values Negotiating a plan Verbalizing the problem Evaluating the plan over time

Clarifying values

Which approaches to ethics focus on the importance of relationships in the decision-making process? Deontology Utilitarianism Feminist ethics Ethics of care Teleology

Feminist ethics Ethics of care Ethics of care and feminist ethics are closely related. Both promote a philosophy that focuses on understanding relationships, especially personal narratives. Deontology defines actions as right or wrong based on their "right-making characteristics." A utilitarian system of ethics proposes that the value of something is determined by its usefulness. Teleology is a term associated with the utilitarianism philosophy, which means the end or final output of any intervention.

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 Justice Autonomy Accountability

Fidelity

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? Gathering all possible relevant information on the case Clarifying one's own values and opinions about the issue Determining whether the situation is an ethical dilemma or not Negotiating the outcome of action for the ethical dilemma

Negotiating the outcome of action for the ethical dilemma

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. Order the patient to undergo chemotherapy. Convince the patient of the disadvantages of surgery. Convince the patient of the advantages of chemotherapy.

Prepare the patient for surgery.

The nurse is assessing a patient who has arthralgia. The nurse is preparing a plan for pain management. The nurse monitors the patient's response and revises the plan to reduce the pain. Which statement about the nurse's action is correct? The nurse is showing fidelity. The nurse is advocating for the patient. The nurse is showing responsibility toward patient care. The nurse is following the principle of accountability.

The nurse is showing fidelity.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) code of nursing ethics articulates that the nurse "promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient." This includes protecting patient privacy. On the basis of this principle, if a nurse participates in a public online social network such as Facebook, could the nurse post images of a patient's x-ray film if all patient identifiers have been deleted? Yes; patient privacy would not be violated as long as the patient identifiers were removed. Yes; respect for autonomy implies that the nurse has the autonomy to decide what constitutes privacy. No; even though patient identifiers are removed, someone could identify the patient based on other comments about the patient's condition and the nurse's place of work. No; the principal of accountability requires the nurse to keep the identifiers on the image.

No; even though patient identifiers are removed, someone could identify the patient based on other comments about the patient's condition and the nurse's place of work.

According to the philosophy of the ethics of care, which is most important when solving ethical dilemmas? Patients Relationships Ethical principles Code of ethics for nurses

Relationships

Which sources are responsible for the formation of values in an individual? History books Schools Governments Social institutions Religious traditions

Schools Governments Social institutions Religious traditions

Which elements are necessary for the resolution of conflicting opinions? Strict adherence to patient confidentiality Patient-centered decision making Identification of possible courses of action Presumption of good will on the part of all participants Participation of families and primary caregivers

Strict adherence to patient confidentiality Patient-centered decision making Presumption of good will on the part of all participants Participation of families and primary caregivers

The nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled for surgery. The nurse finds that the patient's insurance company does not respond correctly regarding coverage of the surgery. Which ethical principle implemented by the nurse would be most beneficial to the patient in this situation? Justice Advocacy Accountability Nonmaleficence

Advocacy

When an ethical dilemma occurs on the unit, can nurses resolve the dilemma by taking a vote? Yes; ethics is essentially a democratic process, with all participants sharing an equal voice. No; an ethical dilemma involves the resolution of conflicting values and principals rather than simply the identification of what people want to do. Yes; ethical dilemmas otherwise take up time and energy that is better spent at the bedside performing direct patient care. No; most ethical dilemmas are resolved by deferring to the medical director of the ethics department.

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

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 understand the principle of autonomy in guiding respect for patient's self-worth. Nurses have a scope of practice that encourages their presence during ethical discussions. Nurses develop a relationship to the patient that is unique among all professional healthcare providers. The nurse's code of ethics recommends that the nurse be present at any ethical discussion about patient care.

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

Which ethical principles are included in the professional nursing code of ethics? Advocacy Responsibility Accountability Fidelity Justice

Advocacy Responsibility Accountability The professional nursing code of ethics includes advocacy, responsibility, and accountability. Advocacy means to support a patient's cause. Responsibility refers to being answerable for the patient's health condition. Accountability refers to the ability to answer for one's actions. Fidelity and justice are components of ethics but are not part of the professional nursing code of ethics.

The nurse is caring for a patient who needs a liver transplant to survive. This patient has been out of work for several months and doesn't have health insurance or enough cash. Which principle is the priority in a discussion about ethics? Accountability, because the nurse is accountable for the well-being of this patient Respect for autonomy, because this patient's autonomy will be violated if the patient does not receive the liver transplant Ethics of care, because the caring thing is to provide this patient the resources for a liver transplant Justice, because the first and greatest question in this situation is how to determine the just distribution of resources

Justice, because the first and greatest question in this situation is how to determine the just distribution of resources Accountability, respect for autonomy, and ethics of care are not necessarily incorrect answers, but they deflect attention from the less personal but more pertinent issue that is at stake in this situation: justice.

The senior nurse is teaching a group of student nurses about ethics in the healthcare setting. Which education about nonmaleficence should the nurse provide? Nonmaleficence means avoidance of harm to the patient. The nurse should balance the risks and benefits of patient care. Nonmaleficence means to keep promises made to the patient. The nurse should allow the patient to read the informed consent. Nonmaleficence means using the therapeutic approaches with the least risk of harm.

Nonmaleficence means avoidance of harm to the patient. The nurse should balance the risks and benefits of patient care. Nonmaleficence means using the therapeutic approaches with the least risk of harm. Nonmaleficence is the avoidance of harm or hurt to the patient. The nurse should balance the risks and benefits of patient care to make sure that it causes the least harm to the patient. Nonmaleficence also means choosing those therapeutic approaches that are least harmful for the patient. To keep promises made to the patient is a part of standards of fidelity. Allowing the patient to read the informed consent is a practice of respecting the patient's autonomy.

The nurse is teaching a student nurse about the ethics of care. Which statement made by the student indicates effective learning? "The ethics of care emphasize the consequences of the set course of action." "The ethics of care emphasize justice and fidelity during medical treatment." "The ethics of care emphasize bringing different points of view to harmony." "The ethics of care emphasize understanding relationships between the patient and family. "

"The ethics of care emphasize understanding relationships between the patient and family. "