Values, Ethics, and Advocacy

Which of the following phrases best describes a value?
A)
questions about how one should act and live
B)
the process by which one decides what is important in life
C)
a belief about the worth of something to guide behavior
D)
dispositions of character that motivate goodness

Mrs. Jones always thanks clerks at the grocery store. Her 6-year-old daughter echoes her thank you. The child is demonstrating what mode of value transmission?
A)
modeling
B)
moralizing
C)
reward and punishment
D)
responsible choice

What is one negative aspect for children of learning values through the moralizing mode of transmission?
A)
little likelihood of developing acceptable behaviors
B)
can lead to confusion and conflict
C)
unacceptable behaviors are punished
D)
not much opportunity to weigh values

Which of the following modes of value transmission is most likely to lead to confusion and conflict?
A)
modeling
B)
moralizing
C)
laissez-faire
D)
responsible choice

A nurse in a women’s health clinic values abstinence as the best method of birth control. However, she offers compassionate care to unmarried pregnant adolescents. What is the nurse demonstrating?
A)
modeling of value transmission
B)
conflict in values acceptance
C)
nonjudgmental “value neutral” care
D)
values conflict that may lead to stress

Which of the following are examples of a nurse demonstrating the professional value of altruism? Select all that apply.
A)
The nurse arranges for an interpreter for a patient whose primary language is Spanish.
B)
The nurse calls the physician of a patient whose pain medication is not strong enough.
C)
The nurse provides information for a patient so he is capable of participating in planning his care.
D)
The nurse reviews a patient chart to determine who may be informed of the patient’s condition.
E)
The nurse documents patient care accurately and honestly and reviews the entry to ensure there are no errors.
F)
The nurse encourages legislation for nationalized healthcare insurance for low-income families.

Values theorists describe the process of valuing as focusing on three main activities. What is the first activity in the valuing process?
A)
choosing
B)
prizing
C)
acting
D)
doing

Which of the following illustrates the activity of acting in values clarification?
A)
respecting the human dignity of all patients
B)
seeking public affirmation for actions
C)
disregarding several alternatives when choosing
D)
considering consequences of actions

While at lunch, a nurse heard other nurses at a nearby table talking about a patient they did not like. When they asked him what he thought, he politely refused to join in the conversation. What value was the nurse demonstrating?
A)
the importance of food in meeting a basic human need
B)
basic respect for human dignity
C)
men do not gossip with women
D)
a low value on collegiality and friendship

10.

A middle-aged man is having increasing difficulty breathing. He never exercises, eats fast food regularly, and smokes two packs of cigarettes a day. He tells the nurse practitioner that he wants to change the way he lives. What is one means of helping him change behaviors?
A)
ethical change strategy
B)
values neutrality choices
C)
values transmission
D)
values clarification

11.

Which of the following words is most closely associated with the term “ethics”?
A)
values
B)
modeling
C)
reward
D)
conduct

12.

Which of the following statements accurately describe a characteristic of ethics? Select all that apply.
A)
The ability to be ethical begins in young adulthood.
B)
Ethics cannot be defined as a code of professional conduct.
C)
Ethics usually refers to personal or communal standards of right and wrong.
D)
It is important to distinguish ethics from religion, law, custom, and institutional practices.
E)
Values are intimately related to, and direct, ethical conduct.
F)
Ethics is a systematic inquiry into principles of right and wrong conduct.

13.

Which branch of bioethics is most concerned with ethical problems that arise within the context of caring for patients wherever they are found?
A)
moral development
B)
clinical ethics
C)
bioethics
D)
nursing ethics

14.

Which of the following best describes the utilitarian theory of ethics?
A)
If an action is useful, it is ethically correct.
B)
The consequences of an action determine if it is right or wrong.
C)
All actions are either right or wrong, regardless of consequences.
D)
There is no way to determine whether an action is ethical or not.

15.

Which component of nursing care is central to the care-based approach to bioethics?
A)
provision of physical care
B)
relationships with healthcare providers
C)
nurse–patient relationship
D)
management of care

16.

A nurse using the principle-based approach to patient care seeks to avoid causing harm to patients in all situations. This principle is known as:
A)
nonmaleficence
B)
justice
C)
fidelity
D)
autonomy

17.

A nurse provides patient care within a philosophy of ethical decision making and professional expectations. What is the nurse using as a framework for practice?
A)
Code of Ethics
B)
Standards of Care
C)
Definition of Nursing
D)
Values Clarification

18.

Which of the following are ANA standards of clinical nursing practice? Select all that apply.
A)
The nurse’s practice and actions are guided by hospital policy and regulations.
B)
The nurse maintains patient confidentiality within legal and regulatory parameters.
C)
The nurse is the patient advocate and discourages patients to advocate for themselves.
D)
The nurse delivers care in a nonjudgmental manner that is sensitive to patient diversity
E)
The nurse delivers care in a manner that preserves or protects patient dependency, dignity, and rights.
F)
The nurse seeks available resources to help formulate ethical decisions and use them in practice.

19.

What document was developed to improve workplaces and ensure nurses’ ability to provide safe, quality patient care?
A)
Code of Ethics for Nurses
B)
Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice
C)
Bioethics Clinical Guidelines
D)
Bill of Rights for Registered Nurses

20.

A patient nearing the end of life requests that he be given no food or fluids. The physician orders the insertion of a nasogastric tube to feed the patient. What situation does this create for the nurse providing care?
A)
nurse must follow the physician’s orders
B)
an inability to provide care for the patient
C)
an ethical dilemma about inconsistent courses of action
D)
a barrier to establishing an effective nurse–patient relationship

21.

A nurse who forgets to give a patient her medication throws away the medicine and documents that it was dispensed on the patient chart. The nurse then becomes uneasy about her action and vows never to falsify a record again. This is an example of which of the following?
A)
ethical uncertainty
B)
ethical distress
C)
ethical residue
D)
ethical disengagement

22.

Two children need a kidney transplant. One is the child of a famous sports figure, whereas the other child comes from a low-income family. What ethically relevant consideration is important to the nurse as an advocate for these patients?
A)
balance between benefits and harms in patient care
B)
norms of family life
C)
considerations of power
D)
cost-effectiveness and allocation

23.

Which of the following is an example of paternalistic behavior?
A)
telling a patient that a painful procedure will not hurt
B)
intercepting a visitor’s gift of candy to a patient with diabetes
C)
deciding to close the intensive care unit when all beds are full
D)
discussing a patient’s condition with the patient’s roommate

24.

A student nurse is working in the library on her plan of care for a clinical assignment. The patient’s name is written at the top of her plan. What ethical responsibility is the student violating?
A)
confidentiality
B)
accountability
C)
trust
D)
informed consent

25.

A nurse is concerned about the practice of routinely ordering a battery of laboratory tests for patients who are admitted to the hospital from a long-term care facility. An appropriate source in handling this ethical dilemma would be which of the following?
A)
the patient’s family
B)
the admitting physician
C)
the nurse in charge of the unit
D)
the institutional ethics committee

26.

A patient tells the nurse that he does not want to have a painful procedure. By respecting and supporting the patient’s right to make decisions, what is the nurse demonstrating?
A)
confidentiality
B)
advocacy
C)
altruism
D)
justice

27.

A patient, unsure of the need for surgery, asks the nurse, “What should I do?” What answer by the nurse is based on advocacy?
A)
“If I were you, I sure would not have this surgical procedure.”
B)
“Gosh, I don’t know what I would do if I were you.”
C)
“Tell me more about what makes you think you don’t want surgery.”
D)
“Let me talk to your doctor and I will get back to you as soon as I can.”

Answer Key