NUFT 202 Exam 3
Ethics - ANSthe study of conduct and character. It is concerned with determining what is good
or valuable for individuals, groups, and society at large.
Acts that are ethical reflect a commitment to standards that individuals, professions, and
societies strive to meet. When decisions must be made about health care, understandable
disagreement can occur among health care providers, families, patients, friends, and people in
the community. The right thing to do can be hard to determine when ethics, values, and
perceptions about health care collide.
Autonomy - ANSCommitment to include patients in decisions; refers to the commitment to
include patients in decisions about all aspects of care as a way of acknowledging and protecting
a patient's independence. Involving patients in decisions about their care is now standard
practice. Providers are obligated to inform patients about risks and benefits of treatment plans
and then to ensure that they understand and agree with their plan.
Respect for provider autonomy refers to provider relationships to institutions.
Beneficence - ANSTaking positive actions to help others; fundamental to the practice of nursing
and medicine. The agreement to act with beneficence implies that the best interests of the
patient remain more important than self-interest.
Nonmaleficence - ANSAvoidance of harm or hurt; Maleficence refers to harm or hurt; thus
nonmaleficence is the avoidance of harm or hurt. In health care, ethical practice involves not
only the will to do good, but an equal commitment to do no harm.
Justice - ANSBeing fair; refers to fairness. It is used most often in discussions about access to
health care resources, including the just distribution of resources. The term just culture refers to
the promotion of open discussion without fear of recrimination whenever mistakes, especially
those involving adverse events, occur or nearly occur.
Fidelity - ANSAgreement to keep promises; also refers to the unwillingness to abandon patients
regardless of the circumstances, even when personal beliefs differ as they may when dealing
with drug dealers, members of the gay community, women who received an abortion, or
prisoners.
Code of nursing ethics - ANS- A set of guiding principles that all members of a profession
accept
- Helps professional groups settle questions about practice or behavior
- Includes advocacy, responsibility, accountability, and confidentiality
Social networking - ANSpresents ethical challenges for nurses; can be a supportive source of
information about patient care or professional nursing activities. The risk to patient privacy is
,great. Posting a photo with no identifiers should not be practiced, as sometimes, the patient can
still be identified. Becoming friends with patients may cloud your ability to remain objective.
Workplace policies will guide your decisions in engaging with social media.
ANA code of ethics - ANSThe American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics provides a
foundation for professional nursing.
A code of ethics can be defined as a collective statement about the group's expectations and
standards of behavior.
The ANA established the first code of nursing ethics decades ago.
The ANA reviews and revises the code regularly to reflect changes in practice. However, basic
principles of responsibility, accountability, advocacy, and confidentiality remain constant.
Advocacy - ANSrefers to the support of a particular cause. As a nurse you advocate for the
health, safety, and rights of patients, including their right to privacy and their right to refuse
treatment.
Responsibility - ANSrefers to willingness to respect obligations and to follow through on
promises.
Accountability - ANSrefers to the ability to answer for one's own actions. Standards are set by
The Joint Commission and the ANA. Health care facilities have compliance officers who are
responsible for making sure that the institution remains in compliance with standards and
regulations.
confidentiality - ANSThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
mandates protection of the patient's personal health information.
Your patient is about to undergo a controversial orthopedic procedure. The procedure may
cause periods of pain. Although nurses agree to do no harm, this procedure may be the
patient's only treatment choice. This example describes the ethical principle of:
A. autonomy.
B. fidelity.
C. justice.
D. nonmaleficence. - ANSAnswer: D
Rationale: Sometimes to improve a patient's condition, it is necessary to perform a procedure
that will cause pain for the patient. The nurse must weigh the benefits and the risks with the
patient in his or her quest to do no harm.
Value - ANSA value is a personal belief about the worth of a given idea, attitude, custom, or
object that sets standards that influence behavior.
Values clarification - ANSEthical dilemmas almost always occur in the presence of conflicting
values.
To resolve ethical dilemmas, one needs to distinguish among values, facts, and opinion.
, you learn to tolerate differences in a way that often (although not always) becomes the key to
the resolution of ethical dilemmas.
Deontology - ANSproposes a system of ethics that is perhaps most familiar to health care
practitioners. Deontology defines actions as right or wrong based on their "right-making
characteristics," such as fidelity to promises, truthfulness, and justice. Deontology depends on a
mutual understanding of justice, autonomy, and goodness. But it still leaves room for confusion
to surface.
Utilitarianism - ANSProposes that the value of something is determined by its usefulness. This
philosophy is also known as consequentialism because its main emphasis is on the outcome or
consequence of an action. A third term associated with this philosophy is teleology, from the
Greek word telos, meaning "end," or the study of ends or final causes. The greatest good for the
greatest number of people is the guiding principle for determining right action in this system.
Feminist Ethics - ANSFocuses on the inequality between people; Feminist ethics critiques
conventional ethics such as deontology and utilitarianism. It looks to the nature of relationships
to guide participants in making difficult decisions, especially relationships in which power is
unequal, or in which a point of view has become ignored or invisible. Writers with a feminist
perspective tend to concentrate more on practical solutions than on theory. Feminist ethicists
propose that the natural human urge to be influenced by relationships is a positive value.
Ethics of Care - ANSEmphasizes the importance of understanding relationships, especially as
they are revealed in personal narratives; promote a philosophy that focuses on understanding
relationships, especially personal narratives. An early proponent of the ethics of care used the
term the one-caring to identify the individual who provides care, and the cared-for to refer to the
patient or patients. In adopting this language, the author hoped to emphasize the role of
feelings.
Casuistry - ANScase-based reasoning; turns away from conventional principles of ethics as a
way to determine best actions and focuses instead on an "intimate understanding of particular
situations." This approach to ethical discourse depends on finding consensus more than an
appeal to philosophical principle. As a strategy for solving dilemmas, consensus building
promotes respect and agreement rather than a particular philosophy or moral system itself.
Nursing Point of View - ANSNurses generally engage with patients over longer periods of time
than other disciplines.
Patients may feel more comfortable revealing information to nurses.
They are involved in intimate physical acts such as bathing, feeding, and special procedures. As
a result, patients and families may feel more comfortable in revealing information not always
shared with physicians or other health care providers.
Your ability to shape your care on the basis of this special knowledge provides an indispensable
contribution to the overall care of your patient.
Ethics - ANSthe study of conduct and character. It is concerned with determining what is good
or valuable for individuals, groups, and society at large.
Acts that are ethical reflect a commitment to standards that individuals, professions, and
societies strive to meet. When decisions must be made about health care, understandable
disagreement can occur among health care providers, families, patients, friends, and people in
the community. The right thing to do can be hard to determine when ethics, values, and
perceptions about health care collide.
Autonomy - ANSCommitment to include patients in decisions; refers to the commitment to
include patients in decisions about all aspects of care as a way of acknowledging and protecting
a patient's independence. Involving patients in decisions about their care is now standard
practice. Providers are obligated to inform patients about risks and benefits of treatment plans
and then to ensure that they understand and agree with their plan.
Respect for provider autonomy refers to provider relationships to institutions.
Beneficence - ANSTaking positive actions to help others; fundamental to the practice of nursing
and medicine. The agreement to act with beneficence implies that the best interests of the
patient remain more important than self-interest.
Nonmaleficence - ANSAvoidance of harm or hurt; Maleficence refers to harm or hurt; thus
nonmaleficence is the avoidance of harm or hurt. In health care, ethical practice involves not
only the will to do good, but an equal commitment to do no harm.
Justice - ANSBeing fair; refers to fairness. It is used most often in discussions about access to
health care resources, including the just distribution of resources. The term just culture refers to
the promotion of open discussion without fear of recrimination whenever mistakes, especially
those involving adverse events, occur or nearly occur.
Fidelity - ANSAgreement to keep promises; also refers to the unwillingness to abandon patients
regardless of the circumstances, even when personal beliefs differ as they may when dealing
with drug dealers, members of the gay community, women who received an abortion, or
prisoners.
Code of nursing ethics - ANS- A set of guiding principles that all members of a profession
accept
- Helps professional groups settle questions about practice or behavior
- Includes advocacy, responsibility, accountability, and confidentiality
Social networking - ANSpresents ethical challenges for nurses; can be a supportive source of
information about patient care or professional nursing activities. The risk to patient privacy is
,great. Posting a photo with no identifiers should not be practiced, as sometimes, the patient can
still be identified. Becoming friends with patients may cloud your ability to remain objective.
Workplace policies will guide your decisions in engaging with social media.
ANA code of ethics - ANSThe American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics provides a
foundation for professional nursing.
A code of ethics can be defined as a collective statement about the group's expectations and
standards of behavior.
The ANA established the first code of nursing ethics decades ago.
The ANA reviews and revises the code regularly to reflect changes in practice. However, basic
principles of responsibility, accountability, advocacy, and confidentiality remain constant.
Advocacy - ANSrefers to the support of a particular cause. As a nurse you advocate for the
health, safety, and rights of patients, including their right to privacy and their right to refuse
treatment.
Responsibility - ANSrefers to willingness to respect obligations and to follow through on
promises.
Accountability - ANSrefers to the ability to answer for one's own actions. Standards are set by
The Joint Commission and the ANA. Health care facilities have compliance officers who are
responsible for making sure that the institution remains in compliance with standards and
regulations.
confidentiality - ANSThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
mandates protection of the patient's personal health information.
Your patient is about to undergo a controversial orthopedic procedure. The procedure may
cause periods of pain. Although nurses agree to do no harm, this procedure may be the
patient's only treatment choice. This example describes the ethical principle of:
A. autonomy.
B. fidelity.
C. justice.
D. nonmaleficence. - ANSAnswer: D
Rationale: Sometimes to improve a patient's condition, it is necessary to perform a procedure
that will cause pain for the patient. The nurse must weigh the benefits and the risks with the
patient in his or her quest to do no harm.
Value - ANSA value is a personal belief about the worth of a given idea, attitude, custom, or
object that sets standards that influence behavior.
Values clarification - ANSEthical dilemmas almost always occur in the presence of conflicting
values.
To resolve ethical dilemmas, one needs to distinguish among values, facts, and opinion.
, you learn to tolerate differences in a way that often (although not always) becomes the key to
the resolution of ethical dilemmas.
Deontology - ANSproposes a system of ethics that is perhaps most familiar to health care
practitioners. Deontology defines actions as right or wrong based on their "right-making
characteristics," such as fidelity to promises, truthfulness, and justice. Deontology depends on a
mutual understanding of justice, autonomy, and goodness. But it still leaves room for confusion
to surface.
Utilitarianism - ANSProposes that the value of something is determined by its usefulness. This
philosophy is also known as consequentialism because its main emphasis is on the outcome or
consequence of an action. A third term associated with this philosophy is teleology, from the
Greek word telos, meaning "end," or the study of ends or final causes. The greatest good for the
greatest number of people is the guiding principle for determining right action in this system.
Feminist Ethics - ANSFocuses on the inequality between people; Feminist ethics critiques
conventional ethics such as deontology and utilitarianism. It looks to the nature of relationships
to guide participants in making difficult decisions, especially relationships in which power is
unequal, or in which a point of view has become ignored or invisible. Writers with a feminist
perspective tend to concentrate more on practical solutions than on theory. Feminist ethicists
propose that the natural human urge to be influenced by relationships is a positive value.
Ethics of Care - ANSEmphasizes the importance of understanding relationships, especially as
they are revealed in personal narratives; promote a philosophy that focuses on understanding
relationships, especially personal narratives. An early proponent of the ethics of care used the
term the one-caring to identify the individual who provides care, and the cared-for to refer to the
patient or patients. In adopting this language, the author hoped to emphasize the role of
feelings.
Casuistry - ANScase-based reasoning; turns away from conventional principles of ethics as a
way to determine best actions and focuses instead on an "intimate understanding of particular
situations." This approach to ethical discourse depends on finding consensus more than an
appeal to philosophical principle. As a strategy for solving dilemmas, consensus building
promotes respect and agreement rather than a particular philosophy or moral system itself.
Nursing Point of View - ANSNurses generally engage with patients over longer periods of time
than other disciplines.
Patients may feel more comfortable revealing information to nurses.
They are involved in intimate physical acts such as bathing, feeding, and special procedures. As
a result, patients and families may feel more comfortable in revealing information not always
shared with physicians or other health care providers.
Your ability to shape your care on the basis of this special knowledge provides an indispensable
contribution to the overall care of your patient.
