Professional Accountability and Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real CNOR practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Accountability and Ethics flashcards as text
A patient with decision-making capacity refuses a blood transfusion for religious reasons despite a life-threatening hemorrhage. The perioperative nurse should:
Answer: Respect the patient's decision and document it, notifying the care team
A competent adult's informed refusal of treatment must be respected even if the decision may result in death; overriding it is a violation of autonomy.
Which behavior BEST demonstrates that a perioperative nurse is fulfilling lifelong learning obligations?
Answer: Actively pursuing continuing education, reading current literature, and applying new evidence to practice
Professional accountability includes proactively seeking knowledge beyond minimum requirements to deliver the highest standard of care.
When caring for a pediatric patient requiring emergency surgery without a guardian present, the perioperative nurse should:
Answer: Proceed with surgery under the doctrine of implied emergency consent and document thoroughly
In a life-threatening emergency involving a minor without a guardian, implied consent allows immediate treatment to prevent death or serious harm.
Which statement BEST describes the perioperative nurse's responsibility regarding cultural competence?
Answer: The nurse should recognize and respect cultural, religious, and individual differences that may affect perioperative care
Cultural competence requires acknowledging and integrating patients' cultural backgrounds into individualized perioperative care planning.
A perioperative nurse receives a gift from a grateful patient's family after a complex surgery. The MOST ethical action is to:
Answer: Decline the gift or follow institutional policy regarding acceptance of gifts
Most professional codes of ethics and institutional policies prohibit or restrict acceptance of gifts to prevent conflicts of interest and maintain professional boundaries.
What is the PRIMARY purpose of the perioperative nursing documentation?
Answer: To provide a legal, professional, and communication record of patient care delivered
Perioperative documentation serves as a legal record, a communication tool among providers, and evidence of care delivered to protect both patient and nurse.
A nurse practitioner colleague asks a perioperative RN to co-sign an order the RN did not assess or verify. The appropriate response is to:
Answer: Decline, as co-signing implies personal verification of the assessment and order
Co-signing documentation implies you have personally reviewed and verified the information; signing what you have not assessed is professional misconduct.