Chapter 8: Legal and Ethical Context of Psychiatric Nursing Care

MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. A patient with severe depression signed permission for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Later, the patient tells the nurse, “I signed permission for treatment after my spouse told me I could be deported if my depression can’t be cured.” The nurse assesses that: a. the patient’s consent may have been coerced. b. all the elements of informed consent were met. c. the patient may not fully understand the risks and benefits. d. the patient is not competent to sign permission for treatment. ANS: A The decision may have been coerced based on family pressure. Informed consent requires that the choice be freely made. DIF: Cognitive Level: Analysis REF: Text Page: 120 TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity 2. When a patient who immigrated to the United States tells a nurse that consent to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was only given because the patient’s spouse said, “They will deport you if you didn’t do what they said to do,” the nurse should initially: a. reassure the patient that the decision is sound. b. discuss the reasons the spouse believed they must consent. c. explain that consenting to treatment will not stop deportation. d. document the comment and notify the health care provider immediately. ANS: D When requirements for making an informed decision are not met, the health care provider will need to confer with the patient. DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: Text Page: 120 TOP: Nursing Process: Implementation MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity