Psychosocial and Physiological Integrity Flashcards

A father expresses concerns about his son's upcoming surgery and has several questions about the procedure. The nurse listens to the father's concerns, shares information about the procedure, and validates his feelings. Which components of the nurse-client relationship is the nurse demonstrating?

Answer: Client-centred care

Explanation: The nurse is demonstrating client-centred care by empathizing with the father and providing information about the surgery. The nurse is demonstrating therapeutic communication by listening to the father’s concerns, empathizing with him, and providing information about the surgery.

A father expresses concerns about his son’s upcoming surgery. The nurse listens to the father's concerns and validates his feelings. What component of the nurse-client relationship is the nurse demonstrating?

Answer: Empathy

Explanation: Empathy involves the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, in this case, the father's concerns about his son's surgery. By actively listening and validating the father's feelings, the nurse is showing empathy, which is an essential component of building a therapeutic nurse-client relationship.

Vaccinations may cause temporary discomfort but the benefits of protection from disease both for the individual and society outweigh the client's discomfort. This involves which ethical principle?

Answer: Beneficence

Explanation: Beneficence is an ethical principle that refers to the duty to do good and act in the best interest of the patient. In the scenario provided, the statement emphasizes that although vaccinations may cause temporary discomfort, the overall benefit of protection from disease outweighs the individual's discomfort. This reflects the principle of beneficence, as it highlights the positive outcomes and benefits of vaccination for both the individual and society as a whole.

The practical nurse has determined that a situation involving a patient has become an ethical dilemma. What is the critical first step in resolving an ethical dilemma?

Answer: Gather all relevant information regarding the ethical dilemma.

Explanation: Before any action can be taken to address an ethical dilemma, it is essential to gather all pertinent information about the situation. This includes understanding the facts, perspectives of stakeholders, and relevant ethical principles involved. Once all relevant information is gathered, the nurse can then proceed to analyze the situation, identify possible courses of action, and make an informed decision based on ethical principles and professional standards.

Hazel is a 55-year-old woman who has been living in an inner-city shelter for several months. She has COPD and gets pneumonia easily. She is currently on three inhalers several times per day. Hazel is a social smoker. What is your priority as a nurse leader in Hazel’s care?

Answer: Acknowledge that smoking may contribute to exacerbations of COPD and ensure Hazel knows how to use all three inhalers effectively.

Explanation: The priority for Hazel's care is to ensure her safety and well-being while addressing both her physiological and psychosocial needs. Therefore, the most appropriate action is to acknowledge that smoking may contribute to exacerbations of COPD and ensure Hazel knows how to use all three inhalers effectively. This option prioritizes educating Hazel about managing her COPD while considering the impact of smoking on her health, addressing both her immediate health needs and her autonomy.

I’m an RPN on a mental health unit. At home, I keep in touch with family and friends through Facebook. Recently, a client “poked” me and invited me to become her “friend.” How should I approach this invitation?

Answer: To maintain professional boundaries, do not accept this request.

Explanation: As a healthcare professional, particularly in a mental health unit, maintaining professional boundaries is crucial for providing safe and effective care to clients. Accepting a client's friend request on social media platforms like Facebook blurs the lines between professional and personal relationships, which can compromise the therapeutic relationship and confidentiality. Therefore, it is important for the RPN to decline the client's invitation to maintain appropriate boundaries and uphold professional standards.

While attending to a regular client during a home visit, the nurse casually tells the client that he can’t afford his wife’s school expenses. The client offers to write the nurse a cheque.

Answer: It is not acceptable to accept this kind of gift from a client because it crosses the boundary in a nurse-client relationship.

Explanation: Accepting monetary gifts from clients can compromise the professional boundaries of the nurse-client relationship and raise ethical concerns. Nurses have a duty to maintain professional boundaries and avoid situations that may influence their objectivity or create conflicts of interest. Accepting gifts of monetary value from clients can create an imbalance of power and may lead to perceptions of favoritism or exploitation. Therefore, it is generally not acceptable for nurses to accept monetary gifts from clients, regardless of whether they have solicited the gift or not.

A nurse in a hospital isn't paying attention and gives a patient a lethal dose of medication.

Answer: Criminal Law

Explanation: In this scenario, the nurse's action of administering a lethal dose of medication due to not paying attention may result in criminal liability. Criminal law deals with actions or omissions that are deemed harmful or threatening to society, and administering a lethal dose of medication negligently falls under this category. It's considered a criminal offense because it involves the potential harm or death of an individual due to the nurse's negligence or recklessness. Therefore, the nurse may face criminal charges and legal consequences for such actions.

The obligation to answer for the professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities of one's activities and duties.

Answer: Accountability

Explanation: Accountability refers to the obligation of healthcare professionals, including nurses, to answer for their actions, decisions, and responsibilities related to their practice. It encompasses being answerable for the professional, ethical, and legal aspects of one's activities and duties. Nurses are expected to uphold high standards of accountability in their practice to ensure safe and effective care for their clients.

Actively supporting a right and good cause; supporting others for speaking for themselves or speaking on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.

Answer: Advocate

Explanation: Advocacy in nursing involves actively supporting a right and good cause, whether it's advocating for individual clients to ensure their needs are met, advocating for improvements in healthcare systems or policies, or speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Nurses serve as advocates for their clients, empowering them to speak for themselves and advocating on their behalf when necessary.

Defining lines that separate the therapeutic behavior's of an RPN from any behavior's that, well-intentioned or not, could reduce the benefit of nursing care to clients, families, or communities.

Answer: Boundary

Explanation: Boundaries in nursing refer to the defining lines that separate therapeutic behaviors from any behaviors that, regardless of intentions, could potentially reduce the benefit of nursing care to clients, families, or communities. Maintaining professional boundaries is essential for providing safe, effective, and ethical nursing care.