University of Phoenix NSG/426 Final Exam (pdf) | 2026/2027 | Ethics
& Legal Q&A | Nursing
1. Which ethical principle obligates healthcare providers to avoid causing
harm to patients?
A) Autonomy
B) Beneficence
C) Nonmaleficence
D) Justice
Correct Answer: Nonmaleficence
Rationale: Nonmaleficence is a fundamental ethical principle requiring
healthcare providers to do no harm. It is often paired with beneficence, which
requires active promotion of good. The principle of nonmaleficence guides all
clinical decisions to minimize risk and prevent injury to patients .
2. The legal doctrine that holds healthcare professionals accountable for the
care they provide is known as:
A) Duty of care
B) Informed consent
C) Standard of practice
D) Respondeat superior
Correct Answer: Duty of care
Rationale: Duty of care is a legal obligation requiring adherence to a
standard of reasonable care while performing acts that could foreseeably
harm others. This doctrine establishes that healthcare professionals have a
legal responsibility to provide competent, safe care to their patients .
,3. Which of the following best describes the role of an Institutional Review
Board (IRB) in research ethics?
A) To allocate research funds
B) To protect the rights and welfare of research participants
C) To publish research findings
D) To hire research staff
Correct Answer: To protect the rights and welfare of research participants
Rationale: The IRB is responsible for ensuring that research protocols protect
participants' rights and welfare. This includes reviewing informed consent
processes, assessing risk-benefit ratios, and ensuring vulnerable populations
are protected from harm in research studies .
4. Which legal term describes a situation where a healthcare provider fails to
provide the appropriate standard of care, resulting in harm to a patient?
A) Battery
B) Negligence
C) Defamation
D) False imprisonment
Correct Answer: Negligence
Rationale: Negligence occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet the
standard of care, causing harm to a patient. The four elements required for
negligence are duty, breach of duty, causation, and injury .
5. What type of advance directive allows a person to make decisions about
their future healthcare?
,A) Living will
B) Durable power of attorney for healthcare
C) Informed consent
D) Ethical will
Correct Answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
Rationale: A durable power of attorney for healthcare is a legal document
that designates someone to make healthcare decisions on behalf of the
patient if they become unable to do so. A living will specifies treatment
preferences, while informed consent is obtained before treatment .
6. Which of the following is NOT one of the four metaparadigm concepts in
nursing?
A) Person
B) Environment
C) Illness
D) Nursing
Correct Answer: Illness
Rationale: The four metaparadigm concepts of nursing are Person,
Environment, Health, and Nursing. Illness is a component of the health
concept but is not a separate metaparadigm concept. The metaparadigm
provides the overarching framework for nursing theory and practice.
7. In which of the following scenarios is patient consent NOT required?
A) Emergency situations where the patient is unconscious
B) Routine physical examinations
, C) Vaccinations in a public health crisis
D) Non-invasive diagnostic procedures
Correct Answer: Emergency situations where the patient is unconscious
Rationale: Consent may not be required in emergencies where the patient
cannot give consent and immediate treatment is necessary to prevent harm.
Public health mandates for vaccinations may also be exceptions in certain
crisis situations .
8. The ethical principle that obligates a nurse to be faithful to commitments
made to themselves and others is known as:
A) Autonomy
B) Beneficence
C) Fidelity
D) Justice
Correct Answer: Fidelity
Rationale: Fidelity refers to the commitment to keep promises and maintain
trust in professional relationships. It is an important aspect of professional
ethics in nursing and involves being loyal to patients, colleagues, and the
profession .
9. The Good Samaritan law:
A) Requires nurses to provide free care
B) Protects healthcare workers who provide emergency care outside of their
workplace from liability
C) Mandates reporting of abuse
& Legal Q&A | Nursing
1. Which ethical principle obligates healthcare providers to avoid causing
harm to patients?
A) Autonomy
B) Beneficence
C) Nonmaleficence
D) Justice
Correct Answer: Nonmaleficence
Rationale: Nonmaleficence is a fundamental ethical principle requiring
healthcare providers to do no harm. It is often paired with beneficence, which
requires active promotion of good. The principle of nonmaleficence guides all
clinical decisions to minimize risk and prevent injury to patients .
2. The legal doctrine that holds healthcare professionals accountable for the
care they provide is known as:
A) Duty of care
B) Informed consent
C) Standard of practice
D) Respondeat superior
Correct Answer: Duty of care
Rationale: Duty of care is a legal obligation requiring adherence to a
standard of reasonable care while performing acts that could foreseeably
harm others. This doctrine establishes that healthcare professionals have a
legal responsibility to provide competent, safe care to their patients .
,3. Which of the following best describes the role of an Institutional Review
Board (IRB) in research ethics?
A) To allocate research funds
B) To protect the rights and welfare of research participants
C) To publish research findings
D) To hire research staff
Correct Answer: To protect the rights and welfare of research participants
Rationale: The IRB is responsible for ensuring that research protocols protect
participants' rights and welfare. This includes reviewing informed consent
processes, assessing risk-benefit ratios, and ensuring vulnerable populations
are protected from harm in research studies .
4. Which legal term describes a situation where a healthcare provider fails to
provide the appropriate standard of care, resulting in harm to a patient?
A) Battery
B) Negligence
C) Defamation
D) False imprisonment
Correct Answer: Negligence
Rationale: Negligence occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet the
standard of care, causing harm to a patient. The four elements required for
negligence are duty, breach of duty, causation, and injury .
5. What type of advance directive allows a person to make decisions about
their future healthcare?
,A) Living will
B) Durable power of attorney for healthcare
C) Informed consent
D) Ethical will
Correct Answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
Rationale: A durable power of attorney for healthcare is a legal document
that designates someone to make healthcare decisions on behalf of the
patient if they become unable to do so. A living will specifies treatment
preferences, while informed consent is obtained before treatment .
6. Which of the following is NOT one of the four metaparadigm concepts in
nursing?
A) Person
B) Environment
C) Illness
D) Nursing
Correct Answer: Illness
Rationale: The four metaparadigm concepts of nursing are Person,
Environment, Health, and Nursing. Illness is a component of the health
concept but is not a separate metaparadigm concept. The metaparadigm
provides the overarching framework for nursing theory and practice.
7. In which of the following scenarios is patient consent NOT required?
A) Emergency situations where the patient is unconscious
B) Routine physical examinations
, C) Vaccinations in a public health crisis
D) Non-invasive diagnostic procedures
Correct Answer: Emergency situations where the patient is unconscious
Rationale: Consent may not be required in emergencies where the patient
cannot give consent and immediate treatment is necessary to prevent harm.
Public health mandates for vaccinations may also be exceptions in certain
crisis situations .
8. The ethical principle that obligates a nurse to be faithful to commitments
made to themselves and others is known as:
A) Autonomy
B) Beneficence
C) Fidelity
D) Justice
Correct Answer: Fidelity
Rationale: Fidelity refers to the commitment to keep promises and maintain
trust in professional relationships. It is an important aspect of professional
ethics in nursing and involves being loyal to patients, colleagues, and the
profession .
9. The Good Samaritan law:
A) Requires nurses to provide free care
B) Protects healthcare workers who provide emergency care outside of their
workplace from liability
C) Mandates reporting of abuse
