Next Professional Standards and Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A nurse discovers that a colleague has been falsifying patient medication records. What is the nurse's primary ethical obligation?
- Confront the colleague privately and give them a chance to correct the records
- Report the behavior to the appropriate supervisor or authority (Correct answer)
- Document the observations and wait to see if it happens again
- Discuss the situation anonymously with other coworkers
Correct answer: Report the behavior to the appropriate supervisor or authority
Nurses have an ethical and legal obligation to report unsafe or unethical practices that could harm patients, regardless of collegial relationships.
Question 2: Which principle of biomedical ethics requires healthcare professionals to act in the best interest of the patient?
- Autonomy
- Nonmaleficence
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence means taking positive actions to promote patient well-being and act in their best interest.
Question 3: A patient refuses a blood transfusion based on religious beliefs, even though it is medically necessary. The nurse should:
- Override the refusal because the treatment is life-saving
- Document the refusal and respect the patient's decision after ensuring informed refusal (Correct answer)
- Contact the patient's family to authorize the transfusion
- Administer the transfusion when the patient is unconscious
Correct answer: Document the refusal and respect the patient's decision after ensuring informed refusal
Competent adult patients have the right to refuse treatment; nurses must document the informed refusal and respect the decision.
Question 4: What does the principle of nonmaleficence specifically require of healthcare professionals?
- Maximize patient benefits at all costs
- Avoid causing unnecessary harm to patients (Correct answer)
- Treat all patients equally regardless of their background
- Obtain informed consent before all procedures
Correct answer: Avoid causing unnecessary harm to patients
Nonmaleficence means 'do no harm' — professionals must avoid actions that could cause unnecessary harm or suffering.
Question 5: A nurse is asked by a pharmaceutical company representative to promote their medication to patients in exchange for gifts. The nurse should:
- Accept only small gifts that do not influence clinical decisions
- Decline and report the offer to hospital administration as a conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Participate only if the medication is genuinely effective
- Consult with colleagues before deciding
Correct answer: Decline and report the offer to hospital administration as a conflict of interest
Accepting gifts from pharmaceutical companies creates a conflict of interest that can compromise professional objectivity and patient care.
Question 6: When a patient's family requests information about the patient's diagnosis without the patient's consent, the nurse should:
- Share general information to keep the family informed
- Decline to share confidential information without the patient's consent (Correct answer)
- Provide the information if the family seems genuinely concerned
- Share the information only with immediate family members
Correct answer: Decline to share confidential information without the patient's consent
Patient confidentiality requires that health information not be shared without explicit patient authorization, regardless of who is asking.
Question 7: The concept of 'justice' in healthcare ethics primarily refers to:
- Legal accountability for medical errors
- Fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources and treatment (Correct answer)
- The right of patients to sue for malpractice
- Following court orders regarding patient care
Correct answer: Fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources and treatment
Justice in ethics means treating patients fairly and distributing healthcare resources equitably without discrimination.
Next Professional Standards and Ethics 2
A nurse discovers that a colleague has been falsifying patient medication records.
What is the nurse's primary ethical obligation?