Basic Flashcards
7 cards from real NMC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Basic flashcards as text
For patient consent to be legally valid, which three elements must all be present?
Answer: Capacity, voluntariness, and sufficient information
Valid consent requires the patient to have mental capacity, receive adequate information about the procedure, and decide freely without coercion.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 establishes which default presumption?
Answer: Every adult is presumed to have capacity unless there is evidence to the contrary
The Act's first principle is that capacity must always be presumed; the burden of proof lies with those asserting incapacity.
A competent adult patient refuses a recommended blood transfusion on religious grounds. The nurse should:
Answer: Respect and document the refusal, ensuring the patient understood the consequences
A competent adult's refusal of treatment is legally and ethically binding, regardless of the clinical consequences, and must be respected and clearly documented.
Under NMC guidance, nursing documentation should be:
Answer: Accurate, factual, and recorded as soon as possible after events
The NMC requires records to be clear, accurate, and contemporaneous so they can be relied upon for continuity of care and legal scrutiny.
NMC guidance on social media use states that:
Answer: Professional standards and conduct obligations apply in online settings
The NMC makes clear that professional standards do not switch off online — behaviour on social media can bring the profession into disrepute and trigger fitness-to-practise proceedings.
Patient information shared in confidence may be disclosed without patient consent when:
Answer: There is a serious and identifiable risk of harm to the patient or to others
Confidentiality can be breached without consent only in limited circumstances, the most common being a serious risk of harm that cannot be managed in any other way.
When contributing to a decision for a patient who lacks mental capacity, the nurse's overriding principle is to:
Answer: Act in the patient's best interests
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 requires all decisions made for incapacitous adults to be guided by their best interests, considering their values, wishes, and wellbeing.