6 Ethics in Nursing Practice Free Online FlashCards

What does autonomy mean in nursing ethics?

Autonomy is respect for a person’s right to make informed choices, including refusing recommended care.

Why is informed consent more than a signed form?

Informed consent is a communication process: the client receives relevant information, can ask questions, and decides voluntarily.

What should a nurse do when a client refuses care?

Explain foreseeable consequences within your role, assess and communicate risks, notify the appropriate clinician, and document the choice, information, notifications, and follow-up.

What should not be treated alone as proof of incapacity?

Disagreement, disability, or an unwise-seeming choice alone does not establish that a client lacks decision-making capacity.

What guides nursing prioritization?

Identify immediate threats to life or safety first, then consider acuity, changes from baseline, time-sensitive treatments, and actions that can prevent harm.

What are the Five Rights of Delegation?

The Five Rights are the right task, circumstances, person, directions or communication, and supervision.

What information and exchange make a handoff useful?

A useful handoff conveys the client’s current condition, recent changes, immediate concerns, pending actions, and contingency plans; the receiver can clarify or confirm details.

What are the main steps for addressing an ethical dilemma?

Recognize the conflict, gather facts, listen and explain, consult and collaborate, agree on and carry out a plan, then document and reassess.

What is beneficence?

Beneficence means acting to promote the person’s well-being.

What is nonmaleficence?

Nonmaleficence means avoiding or reducing preventable harm.

What does justice require in nursing care?

Justice means providing fair, nondiscriminatory care and using resources responsibly.

What is the nurse’s role in informed consent?

The clinician proposing the intervention is generally responsible for explaining it. The nurse checks for questions or confusion and refers unanswered questions to that clinician.