A decision has been made for an older client to receive aggressive cancer therapy despite knowing that the therapy will actually be more harmful than the disease and subject the client to harmful chemicals
With which ethical principle is this nurse caring for this client struggling?
1. Autonomy
2. Justice
3. Beneficence
4. Nonmaleficence
Correct Answer: 4
Rationale 1: Autonomy refers to the right to make one's own decisions. That is not what the nurse is having an ethical dilemma about.
Rationale 2: Justice is often referred to as fairness. That is not what the nurse is having an ethical dilemma about.
Rationale 3: Beneficence means "doing good." In this case the benefits are not known, making the harm more real. Although aggressive cancer therapy is difficult to endure and given the age of the client, this case suggests beneficence, but there is a more appropriate option available.
Rationale 4: Nonmaleficence is the duty to "do no harm." Doing intentional harm is never acceptable in nursing. Placing a client at risk of harm is what is depicted in this scenario, and it occurs as a known consequence of a nursing intervention or some other type of treatment. It is unknown how much therapy will be of benefit to the client or whether it will actually do more harm.
You might also like to view...
A patient comes to the clinic and is diagnosed with a vaginal fungal infection. The nurse provides patient information for self-administration of a vaginal antifungal medication. What will the nurse include in the instructions?
A) "Insert low into the opening of the vagina." B) "Discontinue use during menstruation." C) "Remain recumbent for at least 15 minutes after insertion." D) "Rub the cream into the vaginal wall after insertion."
Mr. Marks is a 66-year-old patient who presents for a physical examination to the clinic. Which question has the most potential for exploring a patient's cultural beliefs related to a health prob-lem?
a. "How often do you have medical exami-nations?" b. "What is your age, race, and educational level?" c. "What types of symptoms have you been having?" d. "Why do you think you are having these symptoms?"
The nurse has identified the goals of "intact skin integrity" and "intact stoma integrity" for a patient with a colostomy
Which evaluation parameters are best suited for these goals? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply. 1. The stoma is pink and moist. 2. No excoriation is noted on skin surrounding the stoma. 3. The patient shows understanding of importance of preventing fecal leakage. 4. The patient demonstrates ability to apply the collecting appliance properly. 5. The stomal area is free of pain.
Carbamazepine has a Black Box Warning recommending testing for the HLA-B*1502 allele in patients with Asian ancestry prior to starting therapy due to:
1. Decreased effectiveness of carbamazepine in treating seizures in Asian patients with the HLA-B*1502 allele 2. Increased risk for drug interactions in Asian patients with the HLA-B*1502 allele 3. Increased risk for Stevens-Johnson syndrome in Asian patients with HLA-B*1502 allele 4. Patients who have the HLA-B*1502 allele being more likely to have a resistance to carbamazepine