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 scrub technician notices the surgeon is about to use an instrument that was not properly sterilized. What is the perioperative nurse's FIRST action?
Answer: Immediately inform the surgeon and remove the instrument from the field
Patient safety requires immediate intervention to remove non-sterile items from the surgical field before use.
Which ethical principle is MOST directly applied when a perioperative nurse ensures a patient fully understands the risks of a surgical procedure before signing consent?
Answer: Autonomy
Autonomy requires that patients receive adequate information to make voluntary, informed decisions about their own care.
A nurse witnesses a colleague falsifying a count sheet to avoid delaying the surgeon. The nurse's ethical obligation is to:
Answer: Report the falsification through the proper chain of command
Falsifying records is a safety and legal violation that must be reported to protect patients and uphold professional standards.
The ANA Code of Ethics Provision 3 focuses on which core responsibility of the nurse?
Answer: Promoting, advocating for, and protecting the rights and health of patients
Provision 3 establishes the nurse's duty to promote, advocate for, and protect the rights, health, and safety of patients.
A patient scheduled for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy tells the perioperative nurse they have changed their mind and want to cancel the surgery. The nurse should:
Answer: Notify the surgeon and support the patient's right to withdraw consent
A competent patient retains the right to withdraw informed consent at any time, and the care team must be notified immediately.
Which action BEST demonstrates professional accountability in the perioperative setting?
Answer: Performing self-evaluation and seeking peer feedback to improve practice
Professional accountability includes ongoing self-assessment and seeking feedback to continually improve the quality and safety of care.
When a perioperative nurse disagrees with a physician's order on ethical grounds, the MOST appropriate course of action is to:
Answer: Use the chain of command and, if needed, invoke the conscience clause
Nurses have a professional and ethical obligation to use the chain of command and may invoke conscientious objection when an order conflicts with their moral integrity.