The director of nursing is reviewing situations that require attention. Which situation is an ethical dilemma that might need to be studied by the hospital Ethics Committee?
1. A 20-year-old male patient with an opportunistic disease is HIV positive and does not want to share this information with his sexual partners.
2. The nurse–patient ratio is 5:1 on a medical-surgical care area.
3. A nurse inexperienced with electrocardiogram interpretation was assigned to the telemetry unit to provide care.
4. Nursing staff provide medication to patients after doses are dropped on the floor.
Correct Answer: 1
A dilemma is a choice between two unpleasant, ethically troubling alternatives. Nurses who provide medical-surgical nursing care face dilemmas almost daily. Many commonly experienced dilemmas involve confidentiality, patient rights, and issues of dying and death. Nurses respect the right to confidentiality of patient information found in the patient's record or secured during interviews. An individual's right to privacy and confidentiality creates a dilemma when it conflicts with the nurse's right to information that may affect personal safety. The law in most states mandates that HIV test results can be given to another person only with the patient's written consent. Many healthcare providers believe that this law violates their own right to personal safety.
You might also like to view...
Six weeks after an above-the-knee amputation (AKA), a patient returns to the outpatient office for a routine postoperative checkup. During the nurse's assessment, the patient reports symptoms of phantom pain
What should the nurse tell the patient to do to reduce the discomfort of the phantom pain? A) Apply intermittent hot compresses to the area of the amputation. B) Avoid activity until the pain subsides. C) Take opioid analgesics as ordered. D) Elevate the level of the amputation site.
Family members are upset when their mother, who is being treated for diverticulitis, begins to yell at the nurse and refuses to eat. They apologize and say, "We don't understand her behavior. She is always such a sweet person."
The nurse should base a response on the knowledge that: 1. physical health can be altered by the client's emotional state of health. 2. the stress of illness can alter the client's normal emotional reactions. 3. physical illness will often cause psychotic symptoms. 4. the client most likely is expressing emotions that have been suppressed for years.
A client is being discharged and will need to perform wound care and dressing changes in the home on a large, open wound
When designing a teaching plan for discharge, the nurse should include which of the following elements? (Select all that apply) a. A videotape of the wound care procedure if possible b. Appropriate ways to irrigate the wound c. Cost of wound care supplies d. Detailed written instructions e. Types of supplies the client will need
A 6-year-old female is diagnosed with a bacterial infection of the respiratory system. Which of the following will most likely try to fight the antigen?
a. Antibodies b. Cytotoxic T cells c. Self-antigens d. Helper T cells