Deck 2: Making Ethical Decisions

Question 1

What basic flaw do critics cite as the major problem with using value ethics as a decision-making tool?

A) The decision-making framework to too rigid.
B) People in different walks of life would come to different decisions.
C) Not all people are moral or use common sense.
D) The past may not provide the right answer.
E) The decision-making framework is difficult to understand.

Answer 1

The past may not provide the right answer.

Question 2

According to MacIntyre's theory of virtue ethics, what principle helps the decision maker arrive at a decision?

A) belief in a higher being
B) loyalty to the role he or she plays
C) belief in the golden rule
D) looking to the future
E) looking to religion

Answer 2

loyalty to the role he or she plays

Question 3

Which of the following is known as a B-need in Maslow's hierarchy of human needs?

A) A patient with cancer needs chemotherapy.
B) A medical assistant needs to be respected by his/her fellow medical assistants.
C) A child in the waiting room needs a safe play area.
D) A family needs food from the food bank.
E) A health care provider needs assistance with their own addiction problem.

Answer 3

A medical assistant needs to be respected by his/her fellow medical assistants.

Question 4

A person who makes a commitment to universal principles such as social justice, equal rights, and respect for the dignity of all people is in what stage of Kohlberg's developmental theory?

A) pre-conventional morality, Stage 1
B) pre-conventional morality, Stage 2
C) conventional morality
D) post-conventional morality, Stage 1
E) post-conventional morality, Stage 2

Question 5

A physician running a busy practice makes decisions for his employees on a regular basis. The physician would describe himself as "moral man with common sense, a sense of justice, and courage who makes the right decisions in life by focusing on these moral traits." What theory of decision making is being employed by this physician?

A) deontological
B) utilitarian
C) virtue ethics
D) consequence-oriented theory
E) duty-oriented theory

Question 6

A child life specialist caring for children in the pediatric ward plays a game with a young patient who is enjoying the game, but makes up the rules as she goes along. This behavior is characteristic of what stage of moral development?

A) sensorimotor stage
B) preoperational stage
C) concrete operational stage
D) formal operational stage
E) post-operational stage

Question 7

Psychologists question how individuals develop values that guide them in ethical decision making. Which of the following reflects current thought on value development?

A) Individuals move from a personal value system to a needs-based motivation.
B) Value development is the same for all people regardless of culture.
C) Value development is not influenced by economic status.
D) When people are born, they have no values in place.
E) Once developed, values cannot change.

Question 8

Jean Piaget is one of the most famous researchers in value development. How did Piaget formulate that there are four levels of moral development?

A) by interviewing families with children
B) by interviewing grandparents
C) by observing male children in the classroom
D) by researching the discipline patterns of parents
E) by observing children at play

Question 9

A hospital administrator makes a decision to shut down a wing due to budget cuts even though some people will lose their jobs. The decision is based on results that will produce the greatest balance of good over evil, everyone considered. What type of framework is the administrator employing to make this value decision?

A) duty-oriented theory
B) deontological theory
C) rule-utilitarianism
D) act-utilitarianism
E) justice

Question 10

When using the utilitarianism method of problem solving, which of the following do proponents of this method indicate should be the solution of choice?

A) The option with the earliest solution to the problem.
B) The option that reflects the decider's highest principles.
C) The solution that provides happiness over pain for those involved.
D) The solution that has the best long-term results.
E) The option that is absolutely right.

Question 11

Which of the following theorists believed that human behavior is based on specific human needs that must often be met in a specific order?

A) Abraham Maslow
B) Jean Piaget
C) Lawrence Kohlberg
D) Immanuel Kant
E) Alasdair MacIntyre

Question 12

A child tells a nurse that he stole money from his mother's purse because he needed money to buy some candy. He also states that he knows what he did was wrong and will not do it again. Based on this conversation, what stage of moral development would this child be experiencing?

A) sensorimotor stage
B) preoperational stage
C) concrete operational stage
D) formal operational stage
E) post-operational stage

Question 13

A healthcare facility administrator considers the principle of utility when making decisions that affect the employees of the facility. Which of the following describes this principle?

A) It is based upon absolute truths applied in other situations.
B) It brings about positive results when generalized to a wide variety of situations.
C) It is the decision that is desired by the majority.
D) It is the decision that has the fewest adverse effects on the facility as a whole.

Question 14

Lawrence Kohlberg modified and expanded Piaget's work, laying the groundwork for modern studies on moral development. On which of the following tenets did the two disagree?

A) that children under 12 years of age could develop moral values
B) that children form ways of thinking through their experiences
C) that the process of moral maturity took longer than 12 years
D) that children under 12 years of age could understand moral concepts
E) that all moral values are determined at birth

Question 15

A health practitioner is interviewing a 6-year-old male child who is in Piaget's preoperational stage. Which of the following is characteristic of this stage?

A) The child views the world from his own perspective.
B) The child is totally self-centered.
C) The child tends to see things as either right or wrong.
D) The child begins to develop abstract thought.
E) The child sees adults as powerful and controlling.

Question 16

In Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, the need for basic life (food, shelter), a safe environment, and to belong and be loved are designated "D" needs. What does "D" stand for?

A) deficiency
B) deprivation
C) destitute
D) demanding
E) decisive

Question 17

Virtue ethics focuses on the traits, characteristics, and virtues that a moral person should have. Who is the most well-known ethicist to write about this ethical decision making process?

A) Aristotle
B) Immanuel Kant
C) Abraham Maslow
D) Jean Piaget
E) Alasdair MacIntyre

Question 18

Immanuel Kant defined categorical imperative as the guiding principle for all decision making. What is the meaning of this principle?

A) there are no exceptions to the rule
B) it is imperative to solve problems in a timely fashion
C) all categories of decision making are subject to the same scrutiny
D) the consequence of the act is more important than whether it was right or wrong
E) all categories should be considered when making a decision

Question 19

A nurse practitioner is also a manager in a small practice with three physicians. One of the medical assistants comes to her and says that another employee is falsifying her work hours. The nurse practitioner knows that the two employees don't get along. What would be the next step the nurse would take if following the problem-solving process?

A) Collect the facts.
B) List the options.
C) Evaluate the potential options.
D) Make a decision and act.
E) Ask the other employee why she is falsifying her work hours.

Question 20

A nurse manager determines the work shifts for the staff based on predetermined health care facility guidelines. This is an example of what type of decision making?

A) rule-utilitarianism
B) act-utilitarianism
C) duty-oriented
D) deontological
E) virtue ethics

Question 21

An act performed by a health care practitioner to help a patient stay healthy or recover from illness is which principle of health care ethics?

Question 22

What is the unique focus of health care providers that challenges them to make sound ethical decisions?

A) the administration of medications
B) the performance of medical procedures
C) the offering of health care to all
D) the allocation of scarce resources
E) the health and well-being of the patient

Question 23

This value choices theory states that decisions should be made by determining what will produce the best outcome.

Question 24

In Jean Piaget's stages of development, in what age range is a child in the egocentric stage?

Question 25

A patient undergoing surgery signs an informed consent for the procedure. Which of the following principles of health care ethics does informed consent protect?

A) autonomy
B) role fidelity
C) confidentiality
D) non-maleficence
E) veracity

Question 26

In health care practices, ethics and laws often interconnect with risk management measures. Which of the following accurately describes one of these concepts?

A) Ethics is the expression of values in social rules.
B) Law is described as a "choose to" activity.
C) Risk management is a mandatory practice.
D) Risk management involves choices to reduce potential liability.
E) Ethics involve mandatory practices.

Question 27

A physician is caring for an indigent 37-year-old male patient with no health insurance, who is admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis related to alcohol abuse. The administrator questions whether this patient is entitled to health care because he did not take responsibility for his actions leading to this condition and he has no health insurance plan. What is the ethical principle guiding the physician's actions?

A) non-maleficence
B) veracity
C) justice
D) confidentiality
E) role fidelity

Question 28

The need for a person to develop a sense of self-worth is part of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Which need is it?

Question 29

A nurse caring for older adults in a nursing home has a paternalistic view about telling patients the truth about their conditions. Which of the following best describes the practice of paternalism?

A) thinking that "I know what is best for the patient"
B) being a strong patient advocate
C) acting like a parent to the patient
D) forcing patients to do things against their will
E) providing patients with a number of options

Question 30

A lab technician is speaking loudly about the reason a patient is having a blood test outside the patient's door. What principle of health care ethics has the tech violated?

A) justice
B) veracity
C) confidentiality
D) role fidelity
E) beneficence

Question 31

A doctor prescribes a placebo for a patient who he feels is complaining of pain that is not there. This is an example of a violation of what principle of health care ethics?

A) justice
B) veracity
C) role fidelity
D) beneficence
E) autonomy

Question 32

An X-ray technician witnesses a nurse diagnosing a medical problem for a patient. Which of the seven principles of health care ethics has this nurse violated?

A) justice
B) non-maleficence
C) role fidelity
D) veracity
E) beneficence

Question 33

This theory focuses on the essential rightness or wrongness of an act, not the consequence of the act.

Question 34

A patient who was injured in a fall in a health care facility due to the negligence of the nurse is filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Which ethical principle applies in this situation?

A) autonomy
B) role fidelity
C) veracity
D) justice
E) beneficence

Question 35

Autonomy is considered one of the seven universal principles of health care ethics. Which of the following is an example of autonomy?

A) A physician performs health care screenings for impoverished patients.
B) A housekeeper in the hospital performs duties following safety procedures.
C) A health care practitioner makes competent decisions related to patient care.
D) An X-ray technician follows HIPAA regulations when displaying X-rays.
E) A surgeon tells the patient that the surgery could result in death.