CHPNA Legal, Ethical, and Professional Standards 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical principle refers to a patient's right to make their own healthcare decisions?
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Autonomy (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Autonomy
Autonomy is the ethical principle that recognizes the patient's right to make informed decisions about their own healthcare, free from coercion.
Question 2: What does 'beneficence' mean in healthcare ethics?
- Do no harm
- Act in the patient's best interest and promote their well-being (Correct answer)
- Treat all patients equally
- Follow the patient's every wish
Correct answer: Act in the patient's best interest and promote their well-being
Beneficence means acting in the patient's best interest and taking positive steps to promote their health and well-being.
Question 3: What does 'nonmaleficence' mean?
- Promote health at all costs
- Do no harm (Correct answer)
- Ensure equal treatment
- Respect patient choices
Correct answer: Do no harm
Nonmaleficence is the principle of doing no harm, meaning healthcare providers must avoid actions that cause unnecessary harm to the patient.
Question 4: If the nursing assistant suspects patient abuse or neglect, they are legally required to:
- Handle it within the care team without reporting
- Report it to the supervising nurse and follow mandatory reporting laws (Correct answer)
- Wait to see if it happens again
- Confront the abuser directly
Correct answer: Report it to the supervising nurse and follow mandatory reporting laws
Nursing assistants are mandated reporters and must report suspected abuse or neglect to the supervising nurse and, if required, to state authorities.
Question 5: Which document outlines what life-sustaining treatments a patient does or does not want?
- Care plan
- Living will (advance directive) (Correct answer)
- Insurance form
- Nursing assessment
Correct answer: Living will (advance directive)
A living will is an advance directive that specifies a patient's wishes about life-sustaining treatments, such as ventilators or feeding tubes, in case they cannot communicate.
Question 6: What is the nursing assistant's obligation when they make an error in care?
- Do nothing and hope it resolves
- Conceal the error to avoid consequences
- Report the error immediately to the supervising nurse and document it (Correct answer)
- Ask the patient not to tell anyone
Correct answer: Report the error immediately to the supervising nurse and document it
Nursing assistants must report errors immediately to the supervising nurse and document them accurately; transparency is an ethical and professional obligation.
CHPNA Legal, Ethical, and Professional Standards 1
Which ethical principle refers to a patient's right to make their own healthcare decisions?