A client is referred to a surgeon by the general
practitioner. After meeting the surgeon, the client decides
to find a different surgeon to continue treatment. The
nurse supports the client's action, utilizing which ethical
principle?
1. Beneficence
2. Veracity
3. Autonomy
4. Privacy - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 3
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of individuals to take
action for themselves. Beneficence is an ethical principle
to do good and applies when the nurse has a city to help
others by doing what is best for them. Veracity refers to
truthfulness. Privacy is the nondisclosure of information
by the health care team.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: The core issue of the question is the ability to
interpret which ethical principle is operating in a specific
situation. Eliminate beneficence and veracity next
because they focus on the obligation of the nurse rather
than on a right of the client.
,A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the
client experiences an episode of pulmonary edema. The
charge nurse would consider the medication error to
constitute negligence because the situation contains
which element?
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care
procedure
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one
ordered
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 2
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an
individual to perform or not perform an act that a
reasonable person would or would not do in the same or
similar circumstances. A purposeful failure to perform a
procedure would be the opposite of negligence, which is
unintentional. Substituting a different medication does
not fit the description of the situation in the question.
Failure to follow a direct order does not fit the description
in the situation in the question.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
,Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that
one of them may be correct. Choose unintentional failure
to carry out a procedure over purposeful failure because
it matches the definition of negligence.
A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and
the nurse replies, "I'm unsure but will find out for you."
When the nurse later returns and provides an
explanation, the nurse is acting under which principle?
1. Nonmaleficence
2. Veracity
3. Beneficence
4. Fidelity - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 4
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements
and promises. This nurse is acting on the client's behalf to
obtain needed information and report it back to the client.
Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers
to telling the truth for example, not lying to a client about
a serious prognosis. Beneficence means doing good, such
as by implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker
out of sight) that benefit a client (heart condition
requiring sodium-restricted diet).
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
, Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct
answer is the one that matches the description in the
stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and
kept it, which constitutes fidelity.
An individual has a seizure while walking down the street.
During the seizure, a nurse from a physician's office is
noticed driving past without stopping to assist. The
individual sues the nurse for negligence but fails to win a
judgement for which reason?
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual.
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same
circumstance.
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries.
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time. - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 1
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have
a relationship with the client that involves a duty to
provide care. The relationship is usually a component of
employment. The nurse did not necessarily do what
others would do in this situation. Although the nurse did
not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent the
nurse from assisting in this situation. Although the nurse
practitioner. After meeting the surgeon, the client decides
to find a different surgeon to continue treatment. The
nurse supports the client's action, utilizing which ethical
principle?
1. Beneficence
2. Veracity
3. Autonomy
4. Privacy - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 3
Rationale: Autonomy is the right of individuals to take
action for themselves. Beneficence is an ethical principle
to do good and applies when the nurse has a city to help
others by doing what is best for them. Veracity refers to
truthfulness. Privacy is the nondisclosure of information
by the health care team.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: The core issue of the question is the ability to
interpret which ethical principle is operating in a specific
situation. Eliminate beneficence and veracity next
because they focus on the obligation of the nurse rather
than on a right of the client.
,A nurse forgets to administer a client's diuretic and the
client experiences an episode of pulmonary edema. The
charge nurse would consider the medication error to
constitute negligence because the situation contains
which element?
1. Purposeful failure to perform a health care procedure
2. Unintentional failure to perform a health care
procedure
3. Act of substituting a different medication for the one
ordered
4. Failure to follow a direct order by a physician -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 2
Rationale: Negligence is the unintentional failure of an
individual to perform or not perform an act that a
reasonable person would or would not do in the same or
similar circumstances. A purposeful failure to perform a
procedure would be the opposite of negligence, which is
unintentional. Substituting a different medication does
not fit the description of the situation in the question.
Failure to follow a direct order does not fit the description
in the situation in the question.
Cognitive Level: Applying
Client Need: Management of Care
Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Assessment
,Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Two options are opposites, which is a clue that
one of them may be correct. Choose unintentional failure
to carry out a procedure over purposeful failure because
it matches the definition of negligence.
A client asks why a diagnostic test has been ordered and
the nurse replies, "I'm unsure but will find out for you."
When the nurse later returns and provides an
explanation, the nurse is acting under which principle?
1. Nonmaleficence
2. Veracity
3. Beneficence
4. Fidelity - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 4
Rationale: Fidelity means being faithful to agreements
and promises. This nurse is acting on the client's behalf to
obtain needed information and report it back to the client.
Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm. Veracity refers
to telling the truth for example, not lying to a client about
a serious prognosis. Beneficence means doing good, such
as by implementing actions (e.g. keeping a salt shaker
out of sight) that benefit a client (heart condition
requiring sodium-restricted diet).
Cognitive Level: Understanding
Client Need: Management of Care
, Integrated Process: Nursing Process: Implementation
Content Area: Fundamentals
Strategy: Use the process of elimination. The correct
answer is the one that matches the description in the
stem; that is, the nurse made a promise to a client and
kept it, which constitutes fidelity.
An individual has a seizure while walking down the street.
During the seizure, a nurse from a physician's office is
noticed driving past without stopping to assist. The
individual sues the nurse for negligence but fails to win a
judgement for which reason?
1. The nurse had no duty to the individual.
2. The nurse did what most nurses would do in the same
circumstance.
3. The nurse did not cause the client's injuries.
4. The nurse was off-duty at the time. - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✔✔Answer: 1
Rationale: To be guilty of negligence, the nurse must have
a relationship with the client that involves a duty to
provide care. The relationship is usually a component of
employment. The nurse did not necessarily do what
others would do in this situation. Although the nurse did
not cause the client's injuries, it does not prevent the
nurse from assisting in this situation. Although the nurse
