In a team meeting a nurse says, "I'm concerned about whether we are behaving ethically in using restraint to prevent one patient from engaging in self-mutilating behavior
while the care plan for another self-mutilating patient calls for one-on-one supervision." Which ethical principle most clearly applies to this situation?
a. Beneficence
b. Autonomy
c. Fidelity
d. Justice
D
The nurse is concerned about justice, that is, fair distribution of care, which includes treatment with the least restrictive methods for both patients. Beneficence means promoting the good of others. Autonomy is the right to make one's own decisions. Fidelity is the observance of loyalty and commitment to the patient.
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What is the major ethical argument related to allocation of health resources?
1. The question of whether health care is a right or a privilege. 2. How to provide low-cost prescription medication to low-income persons. 3. Whether physician or nurse practitioners provide the most cost-effective care. 4. Whether medication therapy is superior to diet therapy in the control of chronic illness.
The nurse is collecting the initial history from a client with suspected esophageal cancer. What factor in this client's history increases the risk of developing esophageal cancer?
A. A high-stress occupation B. A preference for high-fat foods C. A 20 pack-year smoking history D. A history of myocardial infarction
Hepatitis B immune globulin is administered to provide passive immunity to:
1. Infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers 2. Household contacts of hepatitis-B virus infected people 3. Persons exposed to blood containing hepatitis B virus 4. All of the above
A patient in the emergency department shows disorganized behavior and incoherence after a friend suggested a homosexual encounter. In which room should the nurse place the patient?
a. An interview room furnished with a desk and two chairs b. A small, empty storage room with no windows or furniture c. A room with an examining table, instrument cabinets, desk, and chair d. The nurse's office, furnished with chairs, files, magazines, and bookcases