Chapter 11: Ethical and Legal Considerations
Yoost & Crawford: Fundamentals of Nursing: Active Learning for Collaborative
Practice, 3RD Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The student nurse learning about ethics expresses good knowledge when making which
appropriate statement?
a. ―Ethics are internal values developed outside the influence of societal norms.‖
b. ―Ethics are influenced by many variables including family and friends.‖
c. ―Ethics are societal in nature and do not involve personal influences.‖
d. ―Ethics are totally independent from a person‘s character.‖
ANS: B
Family, friends, beliefs, education, culture, and socioeconomic status influence the
development of ethical behavior. The study of ethics considers the standards of moral conduct
in a society. Personal ethics are influenced by values, societal norms, and practices. Behaviors
that are judged as ethical or unethical, right or wrong, reflect a person‘s character.
DIF: Remembering OBJ: 11.2 TOP: Assessment
MSC: NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
NOT: Concepts: Ethics
2. The nurse is providing patient care and pays special attention to meeting the needs of the
patient while maintaining the patient‘s right to privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, and
dignity. This nurse is applyinN
g wR
hat I
ethiG
cal B
th.
eoCry?M
a. Deontology U S N T O
b. Utilitarianism
c. Autonomy
d. Accountability
ANS: A
Deontology is an ethical theory that stresses the rightness or wrongness of individual
behaviors, duties, and obligations without concern for the consequences of specific actions.
Meeting the needs of patients while maintaining their right to privacy, confidentiality,
autonomy, and dignity is consistent with the tenets of deontology. Compared with deontology,
utilitarianism is on the opposite end of the ethical theory continuum. Utilitarianism maintains
that behaviors are determined to be right or wrong solely based on their consequences.
Autonomy, or self-determination, is the freedom to make decisions supported by knowledge
and self-confidence. Accountability is the willingness to accept responsibility for one‘s
actions.
DIF: Remembering OBJ: 11.1 TOP: Assessment
MSC: NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
NOT: Concepts: Ethics
3. The nurse is caring for a patient recently diagnosed with cancer that is being asked to
participate in a new chemotherapy trial. How would the nurse respond if working under the
ethical principle of utilitarianism?
a. ―The patient should be allowed to decide.‖
, DAWIT
b. ―As your nurse, I‘ll support your right to refuse.‖
c. ―You should do this because many could benefit from it.‖
d. ―If this is against your beliefs, you should not do it.‖
ANS: C
Compared with deontology, utilitarianism is on the opposite end of the ethical theory
continuum. Utilitarianism maintains that behaviors are determined to be right or wrong solely
based on their consequences. Deontology is an ethical theory that stresses the rightness or
wrongness of individual behaviors, duties, and obligations without concern for the
consequences of specific actions. Meeting the needs of patients while maintaining their right
to privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, and dignity is consistent with the tenets of deontology.
Autonomy, or self-determination, is the freedom to make decisions supported by knowledge
and self-confidence. The remaining responses are examples of either deontology or autonomy.
DIF: Applying OBJ: 11.1 TOP: Implementation
MSC: NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
NOT: Concepts: Ethics
4. The nurse realizes that a medication error has been made. The nurse then reports the error and
takes responsibility to ensure patient safety despite personal consequences. This nurse has
exhibited what ethical concept?
a. Autonomy
b. Accountability
c. Justice
d. Advocacy
ANS: B
Accountability is the willingnNessRto aIcceG
U S
self-determination, is the freedom Npt rB
to make
es.
poCnsiM
bility for one‘s actions. Autonomy, or
decisions supported by knowledge and
self-confidence. Supporting or promoting the interests of others or doing so for a cause greater
than oneself defines advocacy. To do justice is to act fairly and equitably.
DIF: Remembering OBJ: 11.2 TOP: Assessment
MSC: NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
NOT: Concepts: Ethics
5. The nurse is providing care for a patient who has had a stroke recently and has multiple
self-care deficits. The nurse is coordinating care with in-home agencies and arranging for the
delivery of needed equipment. Which ethical concept is the nurse applying?
a. Advocacy
b. Confidentiality
c. Autonomy
d. Accountability
ANS: A
Supporting or promoting the interests of others or doing so for a cause greater than ourselves
defines advocacy. Confidentiality is the ethical concept that limits sharing private patient
information. Autonomy, or self-determination, is the freedom to make decisions supported by
knowledge and self-confidence. Accountability is the willingness to accept responsibility for
one‘s actions.
DIF: Remembering OBJ: 11.2 TOP: Assessment
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