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A colleague asks you to give her your password access so that she can view her partner's
healthcare record. This request violates the patient's right to:
a. Privacy.
b. Confidentiality.
c. Undue authorization of treatment.
d. Protection against slander. - Answer ANS: A
Privacy refers to the right to protection against unreasonable and unwarranted interference
with the patient's solitude. Privacy standards limit how personal health information may be
used or shared and mandate safeguards for the protection of health information. Institutions
can reduce potential liability in this area by allowing access to patient data, either written or
oral, only to those with a "need to know." Persons with a need to know include physicians and
nurses caring for the patient, technicians, unit clerks, therapists, social service workers, and
patient advocates. Others wishing to access patient data must first ask the patient for
permission to review a record.
A member of a patient's family calls the nurse manager of the palliative care unit to express
concern that a member of the family, who died on the weekend, had requested analgesics from
the RNs on duty. An RN came with the analgesic nearly 45 minutes later, just after the patient
had died. The manager is aware that the unit was especially busy that weekend because many
patients were seriously ill, staff had called in ill, and the staffing manager was unable to
completely replace staff who were absent. The manager is deeply troubled that the family
member had to die in pain because it violates what she knows should have been done. This
manager is experiencing:
a. Compromised agency.
b. Moral distress.
c. Moral sensitivity.
d. Moral dilemma. - Answer ANS: B
Moral distress is experienced when nurses cannot provide what they perceive to be best for a
given patient. Examples of moral distress include constraints caused by financial pressures,
limited patient care resources, disagreements among family members regarding patient
interventions, and/or limitations imposed by primary healthcare providers.
An individual in a wheelchair is applying for the position of receptionist in an outpatient clinic.
The nurse manager understands that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that
, d. Treat, for purposes of employment, homosexuals and bisexuals as disabled. - Answer ANS: A
The purposes of the ADA are to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities and to
provide consistent, enforceable standards to address discrimination in the workplace.
In keeping with standards of The Joint Commission (TJC), the nurse manager organizes an
orientation for new staff members. As part of the orientation, the nurse manager reviews the
employee handbook. Employers may be bound to statements in the employee handbook:
a. Under the doctrine of apparent agency.
b. Under the doctrine of respondeat agency.
c. Based on the employee's or the employer's expectations.
d. Based on the theory that the handbook creates an explicit contract. - Answer ANS: C
The handbook is an implied contract and frames the employment contract.
Mr. M. complains to you that one of your staff asked him details about his sexual relationships
and financial affairs. He says that these questions were probing and unnecessary to his care, but
he felt that if he refused to answer, the nurse would be angry with him and would not provide
him with good care. Mr. M.'s statements reflect concern with:
a. Privacy.
b. Confidentiality.
c. Veracity.
d. Informed consent. - Answer ANS: A
Privacy protection includes protection against unwarranted intrusion into the patient's affairs.
Which ethical principle is primarily involved in informed consent?
a. Veracity
b. Autonomy
c. Beneficence
d. Nonmaleficence - Answer ANS: B
Autonomy refers to the right to choose freely, which is inherent in informed consent.
With regard to nursing practice, nurse managers are held responsible for (select all that apply):
a. Practicing within legal guidelines established under state law and nurse practice acts.
b. Ensuring that nursing staff under their supervision are currently licensed to practice.