Family Integration & Ethical Care Flashcards

A neonatal nurse is preparing a family for discharge of their premature infant. The MOST important teaching priority is:

Answer: Assessing the family's understanding and readiness, then teaching based on identified gaps

Assessing readiness and tailoring teaching to identified knowledge gaps ensures that discharge education is effective and individualized.

Which scenario BEST illustrates the ethical concept of 'nonmaleficence' in neonatal care?

Answer: Advocating for a dying infant to receive only comfort measures rather than painful interventions with no benefit

Nonmaleficence means avoiding harm; limiting painful, futile interventions for a dying infant directly applies this principle.

A teenage mother appears disengaged and rarely visits her infant in the NICU. The nurse's BEST initial intervention is:

Answer: Explore barriers to visitation through a non-judgmental conversation

Non-judgmental exploration of barriers identifies practical, emotional, or systemic obstacles that can then be addressed to support the mother-infant relationship.

A family requests that resuscitative efforts be stopped for their extremely premature infant after 15 minutes with no response. The physician continues. The nurse's BEST action is:

Answer: Privately ask the physician to honor the family's request and involve the ethics team if needed

Privately raising family wishes with the physician and escalating to the ethics team if necessary is the appropriate, professional advocacy approach.

Which behavior by the NICU nurse MOST directly supports a mother experiencing postpartum depression?

Answer: Screening for depression using a validated tool and initiating a referral for mental health support

Using a validated screening tool and making appropriate referrals is evidence-based practice for identifying and addressing postpartum depression.

When a neonate is enrolled in a research study, the nurse's primary ethical responsibility is to:

Answer: Confirm that informed consent was obtained from both parents and that they understand they may withdraw at any time

Informed consent, including the right to withdraw, is the foundational ethical requirement for research involving vulnerable pediatric subjects.

Which family-centered care intervention has been shown to MOST effectively reduce parental stress in the NICU?

Answer: Facilitating kangaroo mother care (skin-to-skin contact)

Kangaroo mother care has robust evidence supporting reduction of parental stress while simultaneously benefiting the neonate's physiologic stability.