AF Medical Ethics & Patient Rights 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with AF refuses anticoagulation therapy after being fully informed of stroke risk. The nurse's ethical obligation is to:
- Administer the medication anyway to prevent harm
- Document the refusal and respect the patient's decision (Correct answer)
- Contact ethics committee to override the patient's choice
- Withhold all other AF treatments until the patient agrees
Correct answer: Document the refusal and respect the patient's decision
Competent patients have the right to refuse treatment even when refusal may harm them; the nurse must document and respect this decision.
Question 2: Which principle of biomedical ethics most directly supports a patient's right to be told the truth about their AF diagnosis and prognosis?
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
- Veracity (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Veracity
Veracity is the duty to be truthful with patients about their diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options.
Question 3: An AF patient asks the nurse not to share his diagnosis with his adult children visiting the room. The nurse should:
- Tell the family because they need to know for caregiving
- Honor the patient's request and maintain confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Ask the physician to decide what family members are told
- Share only general information without disclosing the diagnosis
Correct answer: Honor the patient's request and maintain confidentiality
Under HIPAA and ethical confidentiality principles, patient information may not be disclosed to family without the patient's consent.
Question 4: When obtaining informed consent for electrical cardioversion in an AF patient, which element is MOST essential?
- The patient must sign the form in the presence of two witnesses
- The patient must understand the procedure, risks, benefits, and alternatives (Correct answer)
- Consent must be obtained at least 24 hours before the procedure
- A family member must co-sign the consent form
Correct answer: The patient must understand the procedure, risks, benefits, and alternatives
Valid informed consent requires the patient to comprehend the procedure, its risks and benefits, and available alternatives before agreeing.
Question 5: A patient with newly diagnosed AF states he does not want to be resuscitated if his heart stops. The appropriate next step is to:
- Assume the request is temporary and reassess in 24 hours
- Inform the patient that DNR orders are not applicable in AF
- Facilitate documentation of an advance directive or DNR order (Correct answer)
- Ask the family to make the final decision on DNR status
Correct answer: Facilitate documentation of an advance directive or DNR order
A competent patient's wish to forgo resuscitation should be documented through the proper advance directive or DNR process.
Question 6: A nurse discovers that an AF patient's signed consent form was explained only in English, but the patient's primary language is Spanish. This situation represents:
- An acceptable practice if a bilingual family member was present
- A violation of informed consent due to inadequate comprehension (Correct answer)
- A minor administrative issue with no ethical significance
- A HIPAA violation requiring immediate reporting to compliance
Correct answer: A violation of informed consent due to inadequate comprehension
Consent obtained without ensuring patient comprehension in their primary language is ethically and legally invalid.
Question 7: The ethical principle of justice in AF care most directly relates to:
- Ensuring that all patients receive identical AF treatment protocols
- Fairly distributing AF care resources and treatment access across populations (Correct answer)
- Protecting patients from any adverse effects of AF medications
- Truthfully communicating all test results to AF patients
Correct answer: Fairly distributing AF care resources and treatment access across populations
Justice requires equitable distribution of healthcare resources and fair access to treatment for all patients regardless of background.
AF Medical Ethics & Patient Rights 2
A patient with AF refuses anticoagulation therapy after being fully informed of stroke risk.
The nurse's ethical obligation is to: