Ethical Considerations Flashcards

A patient consented to a PICC insertion during a previous admission. During the current admission, the nurse should:

Answer: Obtain new informed consent for the current procedure

Informed consent must be obtained for each procedure and each admission; prior consent does not carry over.

Which behavior BEST reflects the ethical principle of fidelity in vascular access nursing?

Answer: Following through on a promise to return and check on a patient's IV site pain

Fidelity means keeping promises and maintaining trust; following through on commitments made to patients exemplifies this principle.

A nurse who is part of a vascular access team is offered participation in a clinical trial that would involve placing experimental catheters in patients. The nurse's ethical responsibility includes:

Answer: Ensuring patients provide fully informed consent specific to the experimental nature of the trial

Research participation requires an enhanced informed consent process that specifically addresses the experimental nature, risks, and right to withdraw.

A patient discloses to the vascular access nurse that they are experiencing domestic abuse. The nurse's primary ethical obligation is to:

Answer: Provide information about resources and report according to applicable mandatory reporting laws

Nurses have ethical and legal obligations to provide support resources and follow mandatory reporting requirements for domestic abuse disclosures.

Which practice BEST supports ethically sound documentation in vascular access nursing?

Answer: Recording objective findings, patient responses, and complications accurately and promptly

Accurate, timely, and objective documentation is an ethical and professional requirement that supports patient safety and legal accountability.

A nurse notices a pattern of unnecessary central line placements in a specific unit driven by physician preference rather than clinical indication. The MOST appropriate ethical response is to:

Answer: Raise the concern through quality improvement or ethics channels using evidence-based criteria

Systemic ethical concerns about unnecessary procedures should be escalated through formal quality improvement or ethics reporting structures using clinical evidence.

When a patient's family asks the vascular access nurse to withhold a serious diagnosis from the patient before a procedure, the nurse should:

Answer: Explain that patients have the right to truthful information and redirect the family to speak with the physician

Patients have an ethical right to truthful information about their health; family requests to withhold diagnoses should be addressed by redirecting them to the treating physician.