Ethical and Legal Principles Flashcards
6 cards from real NACE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Ethical and Legal Principles flashcards as text
A patient with terminal cancer has a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order. The patient goes into cardiac arrest. What is the nurse's appropriate action?
Answer: Provide comfort measures only
A valid DNR order means resuscitative efforts should not be initiated. The nurse should provide comfort measures and ensure the patient's dignity.
Which situation represents a breach of patient confidentiality under HIPAA?
Answer: Discussing a patient's diagnosis in the hospital elevator with a colleague
Discussing patient information in a public area like an elevator where unauthorized individuals may overhear is a HIPAA violation.
A nurse makes a medication error that does not harm the patient. What is the nurse's legal and ethical obligation?
Answer: Report the error through the facility's incident reporting system
All medication errors, regardless of whether harm occurred, must be reported through the facility's incident reporting system to improve safety and prevent future errors.
A nurse suspects that a coworker is diverting controlled substances. What is the most appropriate first action?
Answer: Report the concern to the nurse manager or supervisor
Suspected drug diversion should be reported to the nurse manager or supervisor who can initiate a proper investigation while protecting patient safety.
Which action by a nurse constitutes abandonment of a patient?
Answer: Accepting a patient assignment and then leaving without transferring care to another nurse
Patient abandonment occurs when a nurse accepts responsibility for a patient and then leaves without ensuring continuity of care through proper transfer to another qualified nurse.
What distinguishes an advance directive from a power of attorney for healthcare?
Answer: An advance directive specifies treatment wishes; a healthcare power of attorney designates a decision-maker
An advance directive documents specific treatment preferences, while a healthcare power of attorney designates a person to make healthcare decisions when the patient cannot.