Deck 42: Ethics

Question 1

The nurse is faced with an ethical issue. When assessing the ethical issue, which action should the nurse perform first?

A) Ask, "What is the issue?"
B) Identify all possible alternatives.
C) Select the best option from a list of alternatives.
D) Justify the choice of action or inaction.

Answer 1

Ask, "What is the issue?"

Question 2

A drug-addicted nurse switches a patient's morphine injection with normal saline so that the nurse can use the morphine. The nurse is violating which principles of ethics? (Select all that apply.)

A) Autonomy
B) Utilitarianism
C) Beneficence
D) Dilemmas
E) Veracity

Answer 2

Autonomy
Utilitarianism
Beneficence
Veracity

Question 3

A patient suffered a brain injury from a motor vehicle accident and has no brain activity. The patient has a living will which states no heroic measures. The family requests that no additional heroic measures be instituted for their son. The nurse respects this decision in keeping with which principle?

A) Accountability
B) Autonomy
C) Nonmaleficence
D) Veracity

Answer 3

Autonomy

Question 4

An unconscious patient is treated in the emergency department for head trauma. The patient is unconscious and on life support for 2 weeks prior to making a full recovery. The initial actions of the medical team are based on which ethical principle?

A) Utilitarianism
B) Deontology
C) Autonomy
D) Veracity

Question 5

A nurse on the unit makes an error in the calculation of the dose of medication for a critically ill patient. The patient suffered no ill consequences from the administration. The nurse decides not to report the error or file an incident report. The nurse is violating which principle of ethics?

A) Fidelity
B) Individuality
C) Justice
D) Values clarification

Question 6

A male patient suffered a brain injury from a motor vehicle accident and has no brain activity. The spouse has come up to see the patient every day for the past 2 months. She asks the nurse, "Do you think when he moves his hands he is responding to my voice?" The nurse feels bad because she believes the movements are involuntary, and the prognosis is grim for this patient. She states, "He can hear you, and it appears he did respond to your voice." The nurse is violating which principle of ethics?

A) Autonomy
B) Veracity
C) Utilitarianism
D) Deontology

Question 7

A nursing student is conducting a survey of fellow nursing students. Which ethical Chapter is the student following when calculating the risk-to-benefit ratio and concluding that no harmful effects were associated with a survey?

A) Beneficence
B) Human dignity
C) Justice
D) Human rights