LPN Ethical, Legal & Professional Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient refuses a prescribed blood transfusion due to religious beliefs. What is the LPN's most appropriate action?
- Administer the transfusion because it is life-saving
- Document the refusal and notify the charge nurse or physician (Correct answer)
- Try to persuade the patient until they agree
- Ignore the refusal and proceed with the physician's order
Correct answer: Document the refusal and notify the charge nurse or physician
Competent adults have the legal right to refuse treatment; the LPN must document the refusal and escalate to the RN or physician.
Question 2: Which document legally designates someone to make healthcare decisions for a patient who becomes incapacitated?
- Living will
- Do-not-resuscitate order
- Durable power of attorney for healthcare (Correct answer)
- Informed consent form
Correct answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
A durable power of attorney for healthcare names a healthcare proxy to make decisions when the patient cannot.
Question 3: An LPN notices a colleague removing controlled substances from the medication cart without documenting the withdrawal. What should the LPN do first?
- Confront the colleague privately and demand an explanation
- Report the observation to the charge nurse or supervisor immediately (Correct answer)
- Document the incident in the patient's chart
- Ignore it because it is not the LPN's responsibility
Correct answer: Report the observation to the charge nurse or supervisor immediately
Suspected diversion of controlled substances is a patient safety and legal issue that must be reported to the charge nurse immediately.
Question 4: Which ethical principle is violated when an LPN shares a patient's HIV status with the patient's employer without consent?
- Beneficence
- Justice
- Confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Veracity
Correct answer: Confidentiality
Disclosing protected health information without consent violates the patient's right to confidentiality under HIPAA and ethical standards.
Question 5: A patient signs a consent form for surgery but tells the LPN, 'I don't really understand what they're going to do.' What is the LPN's priority action?
- Reassure the patient that the surgeon is competent
- Witness the signature since the form is already signed
- Notify the RN or surgeon that informed consent may not be adequate (Correct answer)
- Explain the procedure in detail to the patient
Correct answer: Notify the RN or surgeon that informed consent may not be adequate
Valid informed consent requires patient understanding; the LPN must inform the RN or surgeon so they can re-explain before proceeding.
Question 6: Under the Nurse Practice Act, what is the primary purpose of nursing licensure?
- To increase nurses' salaries
- To protect the public from unsafe nursing practice (Correct answer)
- To standardize nursing education curricula
- To allow nurses to practice across state lines
Correct answer: To protect the public from unsafe nursing practice
Nursing licensure exists to protect the public by ensuring that only qualified individuals practice nursing.
Question 7: An LPN makes a medication error and the patient is unharmed. What is the appropriate next step?
- Say nothing if the patient was not harmed
- Complete an incident report and notify the charge nurse (Correct answer)
- Correct the documentation to avoid liability
- Wait to see if symptoms develop before reporting
Correct answer: Complete an incident report and notify the charge nurse
All medication errors must be reported and documented through an incident report regardless of patient outcome, to support quality improvement and safety.
LPN Ethical, Legal & Professional Standards 2
A patient refuses a prescribed blood transfusion due to religious beliefs.
What is the LPN's most appropriate action?