Exam 6: Legal and Ethical Basis for Practice

Which documentation of a patient's behavior best demonstrates a nurse's observations?

Two hospitalized patients fight when they are in the same room.During a team meeting,a nurse asserts that safety is of paramount importance and therefore the treatment plans should call for both patients to be secluded to prevent them from injuring each other.This assertion:

Several nurses are concerned that agency policies related to restraint and seclusion practices are inadequate.Which statement about the relationship of substandard institutional policies and individual nursing practice should guide nursing practice?

An example of a breach of a patient's right to privacy occurs when a nurse:

In a team meeting a nurse says,"I'm concerned whether we are behaving ethically by using restraint to prevent one patient from self-mutilation while the care plan for another patient who has also self-mutilated calls for one-on-one supervision." Which ethical principle most clearly applies to this situation?

A nurse's neighbor asks,"Why aren't people with mental illness kept in state institutions anymore?" What is the nurse's best response?

Which individual with a mental illness may need emergency or involuntary hospitalization for mental illness? The individual who:

The family of a patient whose insurance will not pay for continuing hospitalization considers transferring the patient to a public psychiatric hospital.The family expresses concern that the patient will "never get any treatment." Which reply by the nurse would be most helpful?

A nurse volunteers for a committee that must revise the hospital policies and procedures for suicide precautions.Which resources would provide the best guidance? Select all that apply.

A patient being treated in an alcohol rehabilitation unit reveals to the nurse,"I feel terrible guilt for sexually abusing my 6-year-old child before I was admitted." Based on state and federal law,the best action for the nurse to take is to:

A nurse cares for an older adult patient admitted for the treatment of depression.The health care provider prescribes an antidepressant medication,but the dose is more than the usual adult dose.The nurse should:

A patient with paranoid schizophrenia believes evil spirits are being summoned by a local minister and verbally threatens to bomb a local church.The psychiatrist notifies the minister.The psychiatrist has:

An adolescent hospitalized after a violent physical outburst tells the nurse,"I'm going to kill my father,but you can't tell anyone." Select the nurse's best response.

Which situations qualify as abandonment on the part of a nurse? (Select all that apply. )The nurse:

The spouse of a patient who has delusions asks the nurse,"Are there any circumstances under which the treatment team is justified in violating the patient's right to confidentiality?" The nurse must reply that confidentiality may be breached:

In which situations does a nurse have a duty to intervene and report? Select all that apply.

A patient should be considered for involuntary commitment for psychiatric care when he or she:

A voluntarily hospitalized patient tells the nurse,"Get me the forms for discharge against medical advice so I can leave now." What is the nurse's best initial response?

Which scenario is an example of a tort?

Which action by a psychiatric nurse best supports patients' rights to be treated with dignity and respect?