ATI LPN
Test Bank for Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice
Chapter 6 : Ethics, Standards, and Nursing Frameworks Questions
Question 1 of 5
A 22-year-old patient with schizophrenia is refusing his antipsychotic medication. He states, 'I don?t like the dopey way it makes me feel. I feel like I?m walking under water when I take it.' The nurse explains to him, 'Your schizophrenia is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, and this medication helps fix that chemical imbalance. You need to take it so your symptoms will get better.' This conversation reflects a conflict between which two types of ethical principles?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The patient?s refusal of medication reflects autonomy (self-determination), while the nurse?s insistence on medication to improve symptoms reflects beneficence (acting for the patient?s benefit). This creates an ethical conflict, as the nurse?s approach prioritizes the patient?s well-being over their right to choose. The other options do not accurately capture this dynamic: justice involves fairness, paternalism involves overriding autonomy, veracity involves truthfulness, and nonmaleficence involves avoiding harm.
Question 2 of 5
A nurse is faced with an ethical dilemma involving a patient. Which question would be most important for the nurse to ask first when engaging in the process of ethical decision making?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Ethical decision-making begins with gathering facts to understand the situation fully, making 'What do I know about the situation?' the most important first question. This ensures decisions are based on accurate information. While feelings, assumptions, and patient values are important, they are secondary to establishing the factual context.
Question 3 of 5
A psychiatric-mental health nurse is adhering to the standards of practice. When engaging in clinical decision making, the nurse is integrating which of the following as the foundation?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation) is the foundational framework for clinical decision-making in psychiatric-mental health nursing, ensuring systematic and evidence-based care. Developmental issues inform care but are not the foundation, while commitment and accountability are professional qualities, not decision-making frameworks.
Question 4 of 5
A group of nursing students are reviewing the standards of professional performance. The students demonstrate understanding when they identify which as a standard of professional performance?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Collegiality, which involves collaborating and maintaining respectful relationships with colleagues, is a recognized standard of professional performance in nursing. Prescriptive authority is specific to advanced practice, consultation is a function rather than a performance standard, and planning is part of the nursing process, not a performance standard.
Question 5 of 5
A psychiatric-mental health nurse is providing care to patients with a mental illness and is investigating factors related to the patient safety, delivery of care services, and cost effectiveness. The nurse is involved with which area of professional performance?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Investigating patient safety, care delivery, and cost-effectiveness aligns with the quality of practice, a professional performance standard focused on improving care outcomes and efficiency. Education involves knowledge development, resource utilization focuses on efficient use of resources, and collaboration involves working with others, none of which fit as directly.