A surgeon refused a patient's request to restart a patient's total parenteral nutrition (giving nutrition through the intravenous route) because he believed that a greater good would be achieved by not using medical resources to prolong the life
of a terminally ill patient when the resources could be used for other patients. Which ethical theory best explains the surgeon's rationale?
a. Ethics of care
b. Utilitarianism
c. Deontology
d. Categorical imperative
B
Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory that takes the position that the value of an action is determined by its usefulness. The surgeon believes that providing TPN to a terminally ill patient is useless, because it will not prevent her death, and furthermore that it does not achieve the "greater good." Other patients with a better prognosis would benefit from the TPN. An ethics of care is a nursing philosophy that directs attention to the specific situations of individual patients viewed within the context of their life narrative. Deontology considers an action to be right or wrong independent of its consequences. The surgeon is guided by the usefulness of the act, not one of duty. A categorical imperative is a principle, established by Immanuel Kant, that states that one should act only if the action is based on a principle that is universal.
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Nursing students are participating in an online delivery course in their nursing program. For their next assignment, they are to evaluate nursing research articles for credibility and reliability
One of the best databases to search for these articles would be which of the following? 1. CINAHL 2. Google 3. ERIC 4. PsychINFO
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While reading about the history of nursing, the nurse learns that Nightingale did not believe in
a. a holistic framework inclusive of illness and health b. the importance of creating an environment that promotes healing c. a scientific education as a foundation for nursing practice d. the need for a body of nursing knowledge that was distinct from medical knowledge
The nurse is preparing to assess the fetus of a laboring patient. Which assessment should the nurse perform first?
1. Perform Leopold's maneuver to determine fetal position. 2. Count the fetal heart rate for 30 seconds and multiply by two. 3. Dry the maternal abdomen before using the Doppler. 4. Place the patient into a left lateral position.