CPAN Professional Ethics and Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A post-anesthesia nurse discovers a colleague falsifying pain scores in patient documentation. What is the MOST appropriate immediate action?
- Confront the colleague privately and ask them to correct it
- Report the finding through the facility's established chain of command (Correct answer)
- Ignore it as it may be a charting error
- Correct the documentation yourself without reporting
Correct answer: Report the finding through the facility's established chain of command
Falsification of medical records is a serious ethical and legal violation that must be reported through the proper chain of command to protect patient safety.
Question 2: Which principle of bioethics obligates a CPAN nurse to provide post-anesthesia care that promotes patient well-being and prevents harm?
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Veracity
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical principle that requires healthcare providers to act in the best interest of the patient and promote their well-being.
Question 3: A PACU nurse is asked by a surgeon to discharge a patient whose pain is not adequately controlled to free up bed space. The nurse should:
- Discharge the patient as requested to maintain a good working relationship
- Advocate for the patient and communicate clinical concerns to the surgeon and charge nurse (Correct answer)
- Discharge the patient but document the inadequate pain control
- Call the anesthesiologist only if the surgeon persists
Correct answer: Advocate for the patient and communicate clinical concerns to the surgeon and charge nurse
Patient advocacy is a core nursing responsibility; the nurse must communicate clinical concerns and advocate against premature discharge when safety criteria are not met.
Question 4: ASPAN's Standards of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Practice serve primarily to:
- Define billing codes for post-anesthesia services
- Establish minimum staffing ratios for all hospitals
- Provide a framework for safe, evidence-based perianesthesia nursing care (Correct answer)
- Replace state nurse practice acts for PACU settings
Correct answer: Provide a framework for safe, evidence-based perianesthesia nursing care
ASPAN standards provide a professional framework for evidence-based, safe perianesthesia nursing practice and guide clinical decision-making.
Question 5: A patient in the PACU is agitated and attempts to remove their IV. They lack decision-making capacity at this moment. Which ethical principle MOST supports using a soft restraint if less restrictive measures fail?
- Justice
- Autonomy
- Non-maleficence (Correct answer)
- Veracity
Correct answer: Non-maleficence
Non-maleficence ('do no harm') supports using the least restrictive restraint necessary to prevent the patient from harming themselves when they temporarily lack decision-making capacity.
Question 6: A CPAN nurse receives a gift from a grateful patient's family after discharge. According to professional ethics, the nurse should:
- Accept it graciously as it does not affect care quality
- Decline and explain the facility's policy on accepting gifts (Correct answer)
- Accept only gifts under $25 in value
- Refer the gift to the hospital foundation
Correct answer: Decline and explain the facility's policy on accepting gifts
Most professional nursing codes and facility policies prohibit or discourage accepting gifts to avoid conflicts of interest and maintain professional boundaries.
Question 7: Which document primarily guides the scope of practice for a CPAN nurse at the state level?
- ASPAN Standards of Practice
- The Nurse Practice Act of the nurse's state (Correct answer)
- JCAHO accreditation standards
- The ANA Code of Ethics
Correct answer: The Nurse Practice Act of the nurse's state
The state Nurse Practice Act is the legal document that defines the scope of practice, responsibilities, and limitations for nurses within that state.
CPAN Professional Ethics and Standards 2
A post-anesthesia nurse discovers a colleague falsifying pain scores in patient documentation.
What is the MOST appropriate immediate action?