NUR 103 final Exam Questions And Answers

How should a situation be handled in cases where a nurse's personal beliefs differ from the care or education being provided? Examples: vaccines, surgical procedures, blood transfusion, etc. - ANS Nurses should practice healthcare with respect for human rights, cultural rights, the right to life and choice, and dignity, and to treat patients and others with respect Healthcare is a right to all individuals, including the right to choose or decline care, the right to accept or refuse treatment or nourishment, and the right to die with dignity What are the four ethical principles used in nursing and healthcare delivery? - ANS - Autonomy - Beneficence - Justice - Veracity Autonomy - ANS - Focuses on the patient's right to make decisions about matters that affect the patient - The patient makes the final decisions about treatment - Nurse's role is to provide information to better ensure that others (ex. the physican) inform the patient and then support the patient's decision Beneficence - ANS - Relates to doing something good and caring for the patient - Surpasses just physical care but also involves the patient's awareness of their situation and needs - Includes doing no harm and safeguarding the patient like a nurse Justice - ANS - Focuses on treating people fairly - Deciding which patients to treat and which patients to not - Lack of justice can lead to disparities in health care - Can also have an impact on quality care Veracity - ANS - Focuses on the truth - Which information is given to the patient during the informed consent process? - Trust is one of the requirements for informed consent and patient privacy and confidentiality - Can be challenged if a family member were to ask that the patient not be fully informed. This is a direct conflict with ethical practices and patient-centered care Moral Disengagement - ANS The process that involves justifying one's unethical actions by altering one's moral perception of those actions What is the correlation between ethical and legal issues and quality of care? - ANS - If the work environment is not healthy staff members may withdraw from responsibility - Staff could feel as if there are barriers in the organization such as rules, time issues, etc, keeping them from pursuing an ethical action - It is important for nurses and healthcare organizations to support a healthy work environment to prevent and or reduce problems such as a hostile work environment, staff and management passive-aggressive behavior, increased problems with errors, working around the system, and retention of staff What are the reporting requirements for nurses in cases of incompetent, unethical, or illegal practices? - ANS - State boards of nursing have specific processes and procedures that must be followed - Every nurse has a responsibility to report incompetent, unethical, or illegal practices to the nurse's state board of nursing - The source of a complaint remains private - Any nurse who faces a complaint should retain the services of a personal attorney - A complaint of a nurse does not mean that the nurse is guilty What are some of the most common causes of ethical violations in nursing? - ANS - Using illicit drugs or alcohol while practicing - Stealing drugs from a healthcare organization - Committing a serious error that might demonstrate incompetence - Falsifying records How should a situation be handled in cases where a nurse's personal beliefs differ from the care or education being provided? - ANS - Practice healthcare with respect for human rights, cultural rights, the right to life and choice, and dignity, and to treat patients and others with respect - Healthcare is a right to all individuals, including the right to choose or decline care, the right to accept or refuse treatment or nourishment, and the right to die with dignity. How does patient advocacy correlate with the Code of Ethics for Nurses? - ANS Nurses must be fully aware of patients' rights for all settings, ages, and developmental abilities and they must be willing to advocate for them and to collaborate with others in finding solutions to ethical issues. Historically, how has research been affected by ethics? - ANS - Led to reforms and the creation of legal guidelines that must be followed by all healthcare researchers - The Belmont Report identifies the key concerns and the need for greater attention to ethical principles in conducting and reporting research. Describe the three examples of historical, greatly unethical research studies - ANS - Nazi medical experiments in World War II - Tuskegee Syphilis study where African American men with syphilis were not treated so researchers could observe the course of the disease - Willowbrook study where residents of an institution for mentally retarded children were deliberately infected with hepatitis Define informed consent - ANS The permission required by law to explain or disclose information about a medical problem and treatment or procedure so that a patient can make an informed choice or informed consent with potential participants in a research study. Common legal issues that can be seen in nursing practice - ANS - Confidentiality: Patient information must only be shared with those the patient approves or as required for treatment such as the treatment team - Consent: Patient care consent occurs when the patient agrees to treatment and it may be given either orally or in written form. Whenever possible, consent should be informed consent and documented in writing