Nursing Ethics TEST BANK Questions and Answers

1. A 77-year-old woman with an inoperable brain tumor has been hospitalized for the past 5 days. Her daughter comes to visit her. The patient has asked that her daughter not be told her diagnosis. After visiting with her mother, the daughter asks to speak to the nurse. She says, My mother claims she has pneumonia, but I know she is not telling me the truth. The daughter asks the nurse to tell her what is truly wrong with her mother. The nurse should tell her that: 1) Her mother has an inoperable brain tumor, but does not wish anyone to know. 2) She needs to speak to the physician in charge of her mothers care. 3) Her mother has requested that her case not be discussed with anyone, not even family. 4) Her mother is very sick with a serious case of pneumonia that could lead to death. - 3 2. Which of the following terms refers to the ethical questions that arise out of nursing practice? 1) Nursing ethics 2) Bioethics 3) Ethical dilemma 4) Moral distress - 1 3. A belief about the worth of something that serves as a principle or a standard that influences decision making is called which of the following? 1) Morals 2) Attitudes 3) Beliefs 4) Values - 4 4. A 45-year-old patient is ventilator dependent after a high cervical neck injury. He is conscious and competent and has decided that he wants to be removed from the ventilator. His family and the multidisciplinary team agree. The nurse believes the patient intends suicide and would prefer he choose differently but says nothing. The nurse remains at the bedside holding the patients hand. In this instance the nurse is displaying which of the following? 1) Value set 2) Value system 3) Value neutrality 4) Value awareness - 3 5. A 45-year-old patient is ventilator dependent after a high cervical neck injury. He is alert and oriented and, after giving it much thought, has decided that he wants to be removed from the ventilator. The nurse believes the patient intends suicide but supports his final decision. When the ventilator is removed, the nurse remains with the patient to support him. The nurses action demonstrates respect for what moral principle? 1) Nonmaleficence 2) Autonomy 3) Beneficence 4) Fidelity - 2 6. Which of the following consequentialist theories takes the position that the value of an action is determined by its usefulness? 1) Ethics of care 2) Utilitarianism 3) Deontology 4) Categorical imperative - 2 7. The ability of nurses to base their practice on professional standards of ethical conduct and to participate in ethical decision making is known as which of the following? 1) Ethical agency 2) Attitudes 3) Belief 4) Value neutrality - 1