CNSC EXAM 2 COMPREHENSIVE
EXAMINATION 2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
◉ Autonomy. Answer: The individual's right to self-determination in
healthcare decision making; the predominant value in American
bioethics and law
◉ Patient-self Determination Act. Answer: A federal law passed in
1990 that requires hospitals and other health care providers to
provide written information to patients regarding their rights under
state law to make medical decisions and execute advance directives.
◉ Justice. Answer: Fairness; in healthcare, justice involves the
equitable treatment of clinically similar patients with a sole focus on
clinically relevant factors
◉ Deontology. Answer: ethics of duty, rightness or wrongness
depends on the intentions of the agent, not on the consequences
Ex. ANH must be provided to all patients including those who are
potentially in PVS
◉ Utilitarianism. Answer: idea that consequences, not intentions
determine ethical valence
,Ex. decisions that maximize good most amount of people are the
most ethical
◉ Virtue ethics. Answer: ethical system that emphasizes moral
character and development of the virtues as a basis for moral action
◉ Principalism. Answer: uses the key ethical principles of
beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice to resolve
ethical dilemmas.
◉ Competence. Answer: can only be determined by a court
◉ Decisional capacity. Answer: the ability to make right choices for
oneself as they relate to medical care; not global (i.e. pt may be able
to manage finances but not make healthcare decisions)
◉ decisional capcity (4 components). Answer: capacity- task specific
and can fluctuate over time
A. communicate choice or preference
B. logically manipulate information
C. appreciate weight and impact of decision
D. understand relevant information regarding treatment
, ◉ Is there an ethical distinction between withdrawing or
withholding therapy?. Answer: No
◉ Abandonment. Answer: unilateral severance of the professional
relationship with the client without adequate notice and while the
need for care still exists
◉ Terminal Dehydration. Answer: dying patient's condition
naturally results in decreased fluid intake (note that data show no
correlation between thirst and hydration in this population)
◉ Tort Law. Answer: Law that deals with harm to a person or a
person's property.
◉ Patient Self-Determination Act. Answer: A federal law passed in
1990 that requires hospitals and other health care providers to
provide written information to patients regarding their rights under
state law to make medical decisions and execute advance directives.
◉ The Troubling Trichotomy. Answer: The "Can" Technology
The "Should" Ethics
The "Must" Law
EXAMINATION 2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
◉ Autonomy. Answer: The individual's right to self-determination in
healthcare decision making; the predominant value in American
bioethics and law
◉ Patient-self Determination Act. Answer: A federal law passed in
1990 that requires hospitals and other health care providers to
provide written information to patients regarding their rights under
state law to make medical decisions and execute advance directives.
◉ Justice. Answer: Fairness; in healthcare, justice involves the
equitable treatment of clinically similar patients with a sole focus on
clinically relevant factors
◉ Deontology. Answer: ethics of duty, rightness or wrongness
depends on the intentions of the agent, not on the consequences
Ex. ANH must be provided to all patients including those who are
potentially in PVS
◉ Utilitarianism. Answer: idea that consequences, not intentions
determine ethical valence
,Ex. decisions that maximize good most amount of people are the
most ethical
◉ Virtue ethics. Answer: ethical system that emphasizes moral
character and development of the virtues as a basis for moral action
◉ Principalism. Answer: uses the key ethical principles of
beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice to resolve
ethical dilemmas.
◉ Competence. Answer: can only be determined by a court
◉ Decisional capacity. Answer: the ability to make right choices for
oneself as they relate to medical care; not global (i.e. pt may be able
to manage finances but not make healthcare decisions)
◉ decisional capcity (4 components). Answer: capacity- task specific
and can fluctuate over time
A. communicate choice or preference
B. logically manipulate information
C. appreciate weight and impact of decision
D. understand relevant information regarding treatment
, ◉ Is there an ethical distinction between withdrawing or
withholding therapy?. Answer: No
◉ Abandonment. Answer: unilateral severance of the professional
relationship with the client without adequate notice and while the
need for care still exists
◉ Terminal Dehydration. Answer: dying patient's condition
naturally results in decreased fluid intake (note that data show no
correlation between thirst and hydration in this population)
◉ Tort Law. Answer: Law that deals with harm to a person or a
person's property.
◉ Patient Self-Determination Act. Answer: A federal law passed in
1990 that requires hospitals and other health care providers to
provide written information to patients regarding their rights under
state law to make medical decisions and execute advance directives.
◉ The Troubling Trichotomy. Answer: The "Can" Technology
The "Should" Ethics
The "Must" Law
