Nursing Ethics Practice Test

Question 1Professional accountability serves for the following purpose except for:

To provide basis for ethical decision

To respect the decision of the client.

To maintain standards of health

To evaluate new professional practices and reassess existing ones

Question 1 Explanation:Autonomy not accountability respects the decision made by the client. The purposes of professional accountability are: • To provide basis for ethical decision • To maintain standards of health • To evaluate new professional practices and reassess existing ones

Question 2The portion of ethics that centers on the extent to which judgments are reasonable or otherwise

justifiable is:

Mataethics

Normative ethics

Descriptive ethics

All of these

Question 2 Explanation:Metaethics is concerned with theoretical issues of meaning and justification. It is the portion of ethics that centers on the extent to which judgments are reasonable or otherwise justifiable. Normative ethics raises a question about what is right or what to be done in a situation that calls for an ethical decision. Descriptive ethics presents a factual narration of moral behaviors.

Question 3The fundamental responsibility of a nurse according to the International Council of Nurse Code for

Nurses are the following apart from:

Prevention of illness

Promotion of health

Restoration of health

Aggravation of suffering

Question 3 Explanation:The fundamental responsibility of the nurse is to promote heath, prevent illness, restore health and alleviate (not aggravate) suffering.

Question 4Nursing ethics provides the standards for professional behavior and is the study of principles of right

and wrong for nurses. This set of standards states the duties and obligations of nurses to:

Client

Other health professionals

Community

All of these

Question 4 Explanation:Nursing ethics states the duties and obligations of nurses to clients, other health professionals, profession and community.

Question 5Before the nurse administered the client’s medication she assessed the client’s needs for drugs, and

followed the “rights” in drug preparation and administration. After the nurse has given the dose, she

evaluated the client’s response to the medication given. The nurse is promoting:

Accountability

Autonomy

Responsibility

Veracity

Question 5 Explanation:Responsibility is the execution of duties associated with nurse’s particular role. Accountability means being answerable to one’s own actions. Veracity is truth telling.

Question 6Deciding whether prolonging life in a terminally ill client or doing euthanasia (mercy killing) is an

example of what type of ethics?

Mataethics

Normative ethics

Descriptive ethics

All of these

Question 6 Explanation:Normative ethics raises questions about what is right or what to be done in a situation that calls for an ethical decision. Descriptive ethics presents a factual narration of moral behaviors.

Question 7A wrong dose of drug is administered by the nurse. The nurse is responsible to whom?

Client

Physician who ordered the drug

Society

All of these

Question 7 Explanation:The nurse is accountable to the client who received the drug, the physician who ordered it, the nursing service that set the standards of expected performance and society which demands professional excellence.

Question 8When does a moral issue become an ethical issue?

When the choices are clearly denoting which is right and wrong.

When values of a person develops and changes over time.

When there is no acceptable reason for the wrong choice once it is done.

When the choice is no longer clear between right and wrong.

Question 8 Explanation:A moral belief is the personal conviction that something is absolutely right or wrong in all situations. A person is generally unwilling to change personal opinions on issues of a moral nature. However, when the choice is no longer clear between right and wrong the moral issue becomes an ethical one. For example, a person who morally believes that abortion is wrong but is faced with a pregnancy condition that would cause death of the mother if the fetus is not aborted. The moral issue (abortion) becomes an ethical one in this case. The ethical choice of not aborting the fetus but would end the life of the mother or aborting the fetus that would save the life of the mother would then cause confusion to the person involved.

Question 9Informed consent is a method that promotes:

Autonomy

Nonmaleficence

Beneficence

Justice

Question 9 Explanation:Autonomy is the personal liberty of action and self-determination. Informed consent promotes this ethical principle and respects the client’s decision.

Question 10To make autonomous decisions and actions, clients must be offered enough information and has the

following criteria:

Free of internal and external influences

A minor

Unconscious

Comatose patient

Question 10 Explanation:Autonomous decision making should be free of internal and external influences. Minors, unconscious and patients in coma have to rely on others for decision-making.

Question 11The client on renal dialysis informs the nurse that he wants to stop the series of dialysis. The nurse

should appropriately do which action in response to the client’s decision?

Inform the client that the doctor must decide what to do.

Tell the client that he must finish his series of renal dialysis.

Respect the client’s decision and provide comfort measures.

Leave the client and attend other patients.

Question 11 Explanation:Respect for autonomy must be acknowledged when the client disagrees with health care professionals, as well as when the client agrees with the recommendations of the health care team.

Question 12The personal conviction that something is absolutely right or wrong in all situations is called:

values

morals

ethics

standards of practice

Question 12 Explanation:A moral belief is the personal conviction that something is absolutely right or wrong in all situations. Values are principles or standards that influence behavior and decision making which are based on experience, religion, education and culture. Ethics is the promotion of philosophical and theological study of morality, moral judgments and moral problems. It reflects the principles or standards that govern proper conduct related to professional behavior.

Question 13Nurse’s code of ethics is a set of ethical principles generally accepted by members of the profession.

The standard or principles that a nurse must observe in the practice should promote which duty?

Uses judgment in relation to individual competence when accepting and delegating responsibilities.

Plays a major role in determining and implementation of desirable standards of nursing practice.

Active in developing a core of professional knowledge.

Acts through professional organization and participates in establishing and maintaining equitable social and economic working conditions in nursing.

Question 13 Explanation:Using judgment in relation to individual competence when accepting and delegating responsibilities is a duty of a nurse to his/her practice. Under the international Council of Nurses Code for Nurses the following duties are pertains to specific criteria: a. Uses judgment in relation to individual competence when accepting and delegating responsibilities. – NURSE AND PRACTICE b. Plays a major role in determining and implementation of desirable standards of nursing practice. – NURSE AND PROFESSION c. Active in developing a core of professional knowledge – NURSE AND PROFESSION d. Acts through professional organization and participates in establishing and maintaining equitable social and economic working conditions in nursing. – NURSE AND PROFESSION

Question 14

External constraints can influence voluntariness in situations related to informed consent. These

constraint least likely include:

Coercion

Fraud

Undue violence

Significant trauma

Question 14 Explanation:Significant trauma is an internal constraint. A, B, and C are all external constraints.

Question 15The duty to respect privileged information is called:

Fidelity

Justice

Veracity

Confidentiality

Question 15 Explanation:Confidentiality is the duty to respect privileged information. Justice requires treating each other fairly and giving persons their due. However problems like limited availability of resources complicate the application of the distribution of justice. To promote justice in this case, nurse may employ the practice of triage to distribute nursing care properly in spite of limited resources. Veracity is duty to tell the truth.

Question 16The nurse’s obligations to the client least like include:

Considers the dignity of clients

Retains a commitment of welfare to the client

Work toward securing and maintaining conditions of employment that satisfy the goals of nursing.

Hold confidential all information about a client learned in a health care setting.

Question 16 Explanation:This is the social context of nursing not a specific obligation of the nurse to the patient/client. a. Considers the dignity of clients – obligation to client b. Retains a commitment of

welfare to the client – obligation to client c. Work toward securing and maintaining conditions of employment that satisfy the goals of nursing. – social context of nursing d. Hold confidential all information about a client learned in a health care setting. – obligation to client

Question 17The execution of duties associated with nurse’s particular role is called:

Accountability

Responsibility

Nonmaleficence

Veracity

Question 17 Explanation:Responsibility is the execution of duties associated with nurse’s particular role. Accountability means being answerable to one’s own actions. Nonmaleficence is avoiding harm. Veracity is truth telling.

Question 18Being answerable for one’s own action is assuming:

Accountability

Responsibility

Nonmaleficence

Veracity

Question 18 Explanation:Accountability means being answerable to one’s own actions. Nonmaleficence is avoiding harm. Veracity is truth telling. Responsibility is the execution of duties associated with nurse’s particular role.

Question 19The one that promotes the philosophical and theological study of morality, moral judgments and

moral problems is called:

values

morals

ethics

standards of practice

Question 19 Explanation:Ethics is the promotion of philosophical and theological study of morality, moral judgments and moral problems. It reflects the principles or standards that govern proper conduct related to professional behavior. A moral belief is the personal conviction that something is absolutely right or wrong in all situations. Values are principles or standards that influence behavior and decision making which are based on experience, religion, education and culture.

Question 20A client is advised by the doctor to undergo chemotherapy. An informed consent is not yet signed.

This client requests information related to chemotherapy and the drugs that will be given to him. The

nurse explained the side effects of the medications, including the length of treatment and the

prognosis of the disease. The nurse answered all the questions of the client honestly even though

the client may choose not to undergo chemotherapy. The nurse in this situation is promoting:

Fidelity

Justice

Veracity

Confidentiality

Question 20 Explanation:Veracity is duty to tell the truth. Fidelity is the duty to keep promises. Confidentiality is the duty to respect privileged information. Justice requires treating each other fairly and giving persons their due. However problems like limited availability of resources complicate the application of the distribution of justice. To promote justice in this case, nurse may employ the practice of triage to distribute nursing care properly in spite of limited resources.

Question 21The principles or standards that influence behavior and decision making which are based on

experience, religion, education and culture is called:

values

morals

ethics

standards of practice

Question 21 Explanation:Values are principles or standards that influence behavior and decision making which are based on experience, religion, education and culture. A moral belief is the personal conviction that something is absolutely right or wrong in all

situations. Ethics is the promotion of philosophical and theological study of morality, moral judgments and moral problems. It reflects the principles or standards that govern proper conduct related to professional behavior.

Question 22Nurse Janine avoids deliberate harm, risk of harm and harm that occurs during her performance of

nursing actions. The nurse is promoting which ethical principle?

Autonomy

Nonmaleficence

Beneficence

Justice

Question 22 Explanation:Duty to do no harm or nonmaleficence is what Nurse Janine is promoting. This ethical principle is also promoted when nurse avoids deliberate harm, risk of harm and harm that occurs during performance of nursing actions. Autonomy is the personal liberty of action and self-determination. Beneficence is doing good or active promotion of good for the benefit of others.

Question 23Free consent is a willingness to participate in situations related to informed consent. There are

constraints related to voluntariness, which are the internal and external. Internal constraints include

which of the following?

Coercion

Fraud

Undue violence

Significant trauma

Question 23 Explanation:Internal constraints include significant trauma, neurological damage, hypoxia, and other compromised physiological states. Psychological states such as grief, suffering, and anxiety can also limit willingness to participate. External constraints can influence voluntariness which includes coercion, duress, fraud, deceit or undue influence.

Question 24Ethics in nursing profession is very important. The type of ethics that presents a factual narration of

moral behaviors is called:

Mataethics

Normative ethics

Descriptive ethics

All of these

Question 24 Explanation:Descriptive ethics presents a factual narration of moral behaviors. Metaethics is concerned with theoretical issues of meaning and justification. It is the portion of ethics that centers on the extent to which judgments are reasonable or otherwise justifiable. Normative ethics raises a question about what is right or what to be done in a situation that calls for an ethical decision.

Question 25The nurse in a unit is caring for several clients. To distribute nursing care the nurse utilized the

principle of triage due to the limited availability of resources. The nurse is promoting which ethical

principle?

Fidelity

Justice

Veracity

Confidentiality

Question 25 Explanation:Justice requires treating each other fairly and giving persons their due. However problems like limited availability of resources complicate the application of the distribution of justice. To promote justice in this case, nurse may employ the practice of triage to distribute nursing care properly in spite of limited resources. Veracity is duty to tell the truth. Fidelity is the duty to keep promises. Confidentiality is the duty to respect privileged information.