Ethics and Communication Flashcards
7 cards from real ACCS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics and Communication flashcards as text
A surrogate decision-maker for an incapacitated ICU patient insists on continuing aggressive treatment that the medical team believes is futile. What is the most appropriate initial step?
Answer: Convene a family meeting to explore goals of care and the patient's prior expressed wishes
A structured goals-of-care meeting helps clarify the patient's values and may reveal advance directives that guide decision-making.
Which ethical principle is MOST directly upheld when a critical care nurse advocates for adequate pain management for a dying patient whose family refuses opioids?
Answer: Beneficence
Beneficence obligates clinicians to act in the patient's best interest, which includes relieving suffering regardless of family preference.
During a family meeting, the attending physician uses highly technical jargon when explaining a patient's prognosis. Which communication strategy should the nurse recommend?
Answer: Request that the physician re-explain using plain language and check for understanding
Plain language and teach-back methods ensure families truly comprehend prognosis information, supporting informed decision-making.
An adult ICU patient with capacity states she does not want her diagnosis disclosed to her adult children. The children are calling the unit demanding information. What is the correct action?
Answer: Refuse to disclose any information, respecting the patient's stated wishes
A capacitated patient has the right under HIPAA and autonomy principles to restrict information sharing with family members.
A nurse is caring for a patient whose advance directive specifies 'no resuscitation,' but the family is demanding a full code. Which action reflects best practice?
Answer: Follow the advance directive as the expression of the patient's autonomous wishes
A valid advance directive reflects the patient's autonomous decision and takes legal and ethical precedence over family preferences.
Which factor MOST commonly contributes to moral distress in critical care nurses?
Answer: Being compelled to provide care that conflicts with their ethical beliefs
Moral distress arises when nurses know the ethically correct action but institutional or external constraints prevent them from acting on it.
When communicating a poor prognosis to a patient's family in the ICU, which approach is MOST consistent with evidence-based communication guidelines?
Answer: Allow silence after delivering bad news and invite questions
Pausing after delivering bad news gives families time to process information and signals that the clinician is present and supportive.