Ethical Considerations Flashcards
7 cards from real VABC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethical Considerations flashcards as text
A patient with dementia cannot verbally consent to PICC placement. Which action is most ethically appropriate?
Answer: Obtain consent from the legally authorized surrogate decision-maker
When a patient lacks decision-making capacity, a legally authorized surrogate must provide informed consent on the patient's behalf.
A vascular access nurse discovers a colleague routinely reuses single-use catheters to save costs. What is the ethical obligation?
Answer: Report the practice through appropriate institutional channels
Reusing single-use devices violates patient safety standards, and clinicians have an ethical duty to report unsafe practices.
Which ethical principle is BEST reflected when a nurse explains all risks, benefits, and alternatives before a vascular access procedure?
Answer: Respect for autonomy
Providing complete information for informed decision-making directly supports the patient's right to autonomy.
A patient refuses central venous access despite the physician's recommendation. The nurse should:
Answer: Document the refusal and advocate for the patient's decision
A competent patient has the right to refuse treatment, and the nurse must document this and support the patient's autonomous decision.
A pharmaceutical company offers a vascular access team expensive gifts in exchange for using their catheters exclusively. Accepting these gifts would violate which principle?
Answer: Impartiality and avoidance of conflicts of interest
Accepting gifts that influence clinical decisions creates a conflict of interest and compromises the integrity of patient-centered care.
When a terminally ill patient has a documented DNR order, which vascular access action is ethically consistent with that order?
Answer: Continue comfort-focused IV access while avoiding aggressive resuscitative lines
A DNR order prohibits resuscitative efforts but does not preclude comfort-oriented vascular access for symptom management.
A nurse is asked to place a vascular access device for a purpose outside of their competency. The ethical response is to:
Answer: Refuse and refer to a qualified clinician
Practicing beyond one's competence endangers patients; the ethical obligation is to acknowledge limits and involve a qualified provider.