6: Values, Ethics, and Legal Issues Flashcards

1
Q

Values

A

standards for decision making that endure for a significant time in one’s life

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2
Q

value system

A

a learned set of principles and rules organized into a hierarchy

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3
Q

Attitude

A

one’s disposition toward an object or a situation.

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4
Q

Beliefs

A

ideas that one accepts as true

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5
Q

Behaviors

A

actions that can be perceived or noticed

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6
Q

Two ways culture is learned in families

A

World view

Cultural value orientation

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7
Q

World view

A

unquestioned framework or predominant set of assumptions through which people view life

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8
Q

Cultural value orientation

A
a subset of ideas that helps to clarify components of one’s world view:
nature
time
activity
relationships
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9
Q

nature orientation

A

Mastery: one believes that humans are masters of nature and values problem solving and intervention
Subjugation: one believes humans are subjugated to nature and values wonder, awe, or fate and focuses more on safety and survival
Harmony: one believes humans should act in harmony with nature and may value balance

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10
Q

first-level preconventional stage

A

children learn to distinguish right from wrong and understand the choice between obedience and punishment

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11
Q

Values clarification

A

a method of self-discovery by which people identify their personal values and their value rankings

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12
Q

values inquiry

A

a method of examining social issues and the values that motivate human choices

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13
Q

Ethics

A

a branch of philosophy dealing with standards of conduct and moral judgment

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14
Q

Personal morality

A

set of beliefs about the standards of right and wrong that help a person determine the correct or permissible action in a given situation

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15
Q

Personal values

A

ideas or beliefs a person considers highly important and are learned through interactions with social systems as described previously

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16
Q

Professional ethics

A

values held by a group deemed as having generalizable application and standards of conduct to be upheld in all situations

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17
Q

Institutional policies

A

guidelines developed by healthcare institutions to direct professional practice

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18
Q

Principles

A

basic ideas that serve as starting points for both understanding and working through problems

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19
Q

Beneficence

A

doing or promoting good

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20
Q

nonmaleficence

A

to avoid doing harm, to remove from harm, and to prevent harm

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21
Q

Autonomy

A

creating the conditions in which patients can make their own decisions

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22
Q

capacity

A

mental or physical ability

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23
Q

surrogate decision maker

A

Someone to act on patient behalf for infants, young children, people who are severely mentally handicapped or incapacitated, and people in a persistent vegetative state or coma

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24
Q

advance directives

A

verbally participating in healthcare decision making and by employing written documents to specify what interventions patients would or would not want

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25
Q

living will

A

advance directive that specifies the types of medical treatment patients do and do not want to receive

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26
Q

proxy directive (AKA durable power of attorney for healthcare)

A

advance directive allows patients to designate another person to make decisions

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27
Q

Justice

A

the foundation for decisions about resource allocations for societies or groups.

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28
Q

six basic rights for patients

A

The right to self-determination

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29
Q

ethical values that guide the behavior of healthcare professionals

A

Veracity: telling the truth
Fidelity: being faithful to one’s commitments or promises
Privacy: appropriately using patient information
Confidentiality: information about a patient be kept private

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30
Q

dilemma

A

a situation in which:
● Two or more choices are available.
● It is difficult to determine which choice is best.
● Available alternatives cannot solve the needs of all those involved.
● Each alternative may have both favorable and unfavorable features.

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31
Q

Laws

A

rules or standards of human conduct established by government through legislative bodies and interpreted by courts to protect the rights of citizens

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32
Q

Sources of Law

A

constitutions, legislative statutes, and common law

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33
Q

Constitutions

A

foundation of the system of justice

34
Q

Legislative statutes

A

laws derived from a legislative body

35
Q

Common law

A

evolves from decisions of courts

36
Q

Civil law

A

It is the body of law that deals with relationships between private individuals subdivided into contract law and tort law.

37
Q

Criminal law

A

public law that deals with the public’s safety and welfare divided into felonies and misdemeanors

38
Q

Licensure

A

the legal ability to practice as a nurse in a certain state

39
Q

Standards of care

A

comprise the expected level of performance or practice as established by guidelines, authority, or custom

40
Q

tort

A

Private wrong for which the law provides a remedy resulting in money damages paid to the victim

41
Q

crime

A

Any wrong punishable by the state. Results in prison term, fine, or short jail sentence to punish offender

42
Q

Assault

A

the THREAT of touching another person without his or her consent

43
Q

Battery

A

the actual carrying out of touching another person without his or her consent

44
Q

Felony

A
Premeditated killing (first-degree murder)
Impulsive or unintentional killing (second-degree murder; manslaughter, rape, arson, treason, kidnapping, burglary, bribery, child abuse, drug trafficking, fraud, and terrorism)
45
Q

Misdemeanor

A

An offense punishable by imprisonment of less than 1 year or a fine of less than $1,000. Does not amount to a felony.

46
Q

Intentional

A
Assault and battery 
Defamation of character 
Fraud
Invasion of privacy 
False imprisonment
47
Q

Unintentional

A

Negligence—mistake or failure to be prudent
Malpractice—negligence in the practice of a profession (e.g., failure to assess a significant change in condition, failure to act appropriately in treating a patient, error in sponge counts, causing a burn, failure to use aseptic technique,
falls, medical errors, misadministration of blood)

48
Q

Defamation of character

A

false communication that results in injury to a person’s reputation by means of print (libel) or spoken word (slander)

49
Q

libel

A

printed false communication

50
Q

slander

A

spoken false communication

51
Q

Fraud

A

purposeful misrepresentation of self or an act that may cause harm to a person or property

52
Q

false imprisonment

A

Prevention of movement or unjustified retention of a person without consent

53
Q

four elements of Negligence

A

duty
breach of duty
proximate cause
damages.

54
Q

Malpractice

A

Negligence on the professional’s part
To prove malpractice, four elements are necessary:
● A duty to the plaintiff
● A failure to meet the standard of care, or a breach of duty,
which may be an act of omission
● Causation (i.e., that the breach of duty produced the injury
in a natural and continuous sequence)
● Damages, which require a physical, emotional, financial, or
other injury to the patient

55
Q

plaintiff

A

the person bringing suit

56
Q

defendant

A

the person being sued

57
Q

Breach of duty

A

failure to conform to the standard of practice, thus creating a risk for a person that a reasonable person would have foreseen

58
Q

Proximate Cause

A

Causation must be proven for the courts to find negligence

59
Q

res ipsa loquitur (“the thing speaks for itself”)

A

When it is obvious that the patient’s injury resulted from someone’s negligence but it is impossible to prove who was at fault

60
Q

Liability

A

denotes legal responsibility to pay damages

61
Q

respondeat superior (“let the master answer”)

A

The hospital, clinic, or community nurse service may be held responsible for a nurse’s negligence

62
Q

active euthanasia

A

deliberately hastening a person’s death and is considered murder

63
Q

Terminal sedation

A

legally and ethically permissible to provide analgesia to a level that produces light sedation, even though this is likely to hasten death somewhat secondary to resulting immobility

64
Q

Good Samaritan laws

A

legal im- munity for healthcare professionals who assist in an emergency and render reasonable care under such circumstances

65
Q

Act of omission

A

neglecting to do something that a reasonably prudent person would do

66
Q

Commission

A

doing something that a reasonably prudent person would not do

67
Q

A nurse is working in an organization that prescribes and supports Plan B (“the morning after pill”) as a form of contraception. In analyzing her role and moral values, the nurse should consider which of the following?
Select all that apply:
a. Is she affirming the patient’s desires?
b. Is she upholding the ethics of the profession?
c. What are the nurse’s beliefs/biases related to this medication?
d. What are the consequences and alternatives of giving or not giving this medication?

A

a. Is she affirming the patient’s desires?
b. Is she upholding the ethics of the profession?
c. What are the nurse’s beliefs/biases related to this medication?
d. What are the consequences and alternatives of giving or not giving this medication?

68
Q

A patient with esophageal cancer is no longer able to consume foods by mouth and is now fed via a gastric feeding tube. She is withdrawn and states, “My family used to have big dinners with friends, family, lots of laughter, and loud conversation.” Which of the patient’s values are apparent and best describe her behavior?

a. Independence and individuality
b. Family role
c. Socialization
d. Human nature

A

c. Socialization

69
Q

A nurse is caring for a patient with necrosing leg ulcers. The nurse assesses that these are related to venous stasis, but when asked, the patient reports that “there is a man shooting lasers through the floor of her apartment.” In order to progress with wound treatment, what must the nurse understand about resolving value conflicts?
Select all that apply:
a. It is necessary to establish common ground about therapy goals.
b. Further exploration of the patient’s belief system may be needed to identify beliefs related to care.
c. The nurse may need to answer patient questions related to care.
d. The nurse may need to examine his or her values related to mental health and care goals.

A

a. It is necessary to establish common ground about therapy goals.
b. Further exploration of the patient’s belief system may be needed to identify beliefs related to care.
c. The nurse may need to answer patient questions related to care.
d. The nurse may need to examine his or her values related to mental health and care goals.

70
Q

A nurse in the transplant ICU is caring for a teenager following a liver transplant as a result of a Tylenol overdose. The patient also superseded another ICU patient (reformed alcoholic) who subsequently died without the transplant. The patient is now noncompliant with treatment, stating that she just wants to die. The nurse questions the principles of healthcare ethics in this case. Which principle would be most in question?

a. Beneficence
b. Nonmaleficience
c. Autonomy
d. Justice

A

d. Justice: patient is not willing to receive medical therapies to support the transplanted liver after another patient died waiting to receive the same organ

71
Q

A nurse fails to observe and document a patient’s change in neurologic status, ultimately resulting in the patient’s death from a stroke. Which type of malpractice is most relevant?

a. Fraud
b. Breach of duty
c. Negligence by commission
d. Battery

A

b. Breach of duty: failure to conform to the standard of practice

72
Q

assisted suicide

A

Providing the client with a means to end life, but not the direct action that results in death

73
Q

brain death

A

Irreversible cessation of heart and lung functions or an irreversible loss of all functions of the entire brain

74
Q

community-based no code order

A

Document that requires the signatures of the primary physician or nurse practitioner and the client or legal surrogate and allows emergency medical personnel, if called, to provide care and support to client and family without resuscitation

75
Q

confidentiality

A

Practice of keeping client information private

76
Q

do not resuscitate (DNR) orders

A

Orders not to provide resuscitation in the event of a cardiopulmonary arrest

77
Q

fidelity

A

Being faithful to one’s commitments and promises

78
Q

negligence

A

Failure to do something that a reasonably prudent person would do, or doing something that a reason- ably prudent person would not do

79
Q

no code order

A

Order not to provide resuscitation in the

event of a cardiopulmonary arrest

80
Q

privacy

A

Patient confidentiality

81
Q

resuscitation

A

Act of reviving after apparent death or unconsciousness

82
Q

veracity

A

Principle of telling the truth, essential to the integrity of the client-provider relationship