Professional Ethics and Standards Flashcards

A PACU nurse overhears a colleague making disparaging remarks about a patient's obesity in the hallway. The best response is to:

Answer: Address the colleague immediately and report it per facility policy if it continues

Disrespectful behavior toward patients violates professional ethics and patient dignity; nurses have an obligation to address such conduct and report it through appropriate channels.

Informed consent for a procedure was obtained before the patient received sedation in the PACU. Upon reflection, the nurse suspects the patient may not have been fully competent when signing. The nurse should:

Answer: Notify the surgeon and document the concern for clinical review

Valid informed consent requires decision-making capacity; if the nurse suspects the patient lacked capacity when signing, this must be reported for clinical and ethical review.

The ethical concept of 'fidelity' in nursing practice refers to:

Answer: Keeping promises and honoring commitments to patients

Fidelity means keeping promises, fulfilling duties, and honoring commitments made to patients, which is foundational to the nurse-patient trust relationship.

A post-anesthesia nurse is floated to a unit where they have no PACU experience. The safest and most ethical action is to:

Answer: Communicate concerns about competency to the charge nurse and request orientation or an appropriate assignment

Nurses have an ethical and professional responsibility to practice only within their competency; communicating limitations while seeking support or reassignment protects patient safety.

A DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order exists for a patient arriving in the PACU following elective surgery. What is the standard ASPAN-guided approach to this order?

Answer: Discuss the patient's wishes with the surgical team and document the agreed perioperative DNR policy

ASPAN and anesthesia guidelines recommend required reconsideration of DNR orders in the perioperative period through informed discussion with the patient and surgical team, with clear documentation.

Which behavior by a PACU nurse BEST demonstrates professional accountability?

Answer: Reporting a near-miss event to the charge nurse and completing an incident report

Professional accountability includes transparent reporting of near-misses and errors through proper channels, which supports a culture of safety and quality improvement.

A CPAN nurse who witnesses unethical conduct but fears retaliation for reporting it should know that:

Answer: Most states have whistleblower protection laws for nurses who report in good faith

Federal and most state whistleblower protection laws protect healthcare workers who report unethical or illegal conduct in good faith from employer retaliation.