ATI LPN
Current Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare Questions
Question 1 of 5
Beauchamp and Childress make the following argument about deception of third-party payers in the health care field:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Ethical guidelines prioritize nondeceptive practices and advocate for systemic change over dishonesty.
Question 2 of 5
Which of the following most accurately describes the participation of prisoners in clinical trials and research?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Prisoners have the same rights as nonprisoners in clinical research, including the right to informed consent and monetary compensation. Participation cannot influence their sentence.
Question 3 of 5
A 37-year-old man comes to your office for his regular visit. He has seemed severely depressed for some time but refuses to discuss either his feelings or treatment options of any kind. He does not want to use antidepressant medications. His only medications are vitamins. Your relationship with him is excellent but he just won't confront his feelings of depression although he firmly denies suicidal ideation. You prescribe a serotonin reuptake inhibitor for him and tell him that it is a vitamin. Over the next several months his mood markedly improves and he feels much better. Which of the following most appropriately characterizes your action toward the patient?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: A patient must give informed consent to any treatment. Treating without consent, even if beneficial, violates autonomy.
Question 4 of 5
A 52-year-old man sees you in follow-up after a radical prostatectomy. He had been fully informed about the risk of the procedure such as incontinence and impotence. Neither of these adverse effects occurs. While searching on the Web he finds that there is treatment without surgery involving the implantation of radioactive seeds or pellets in the prostate. He files suit against you because of an improper informed consent. What will be the most likely outcome of the suit?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Informed consent requires discussion of alternative treatments, not just risks of the chosen procedure.
Question 5 of 5
A 65-year-old man comes to see you because he wants your help in committing suicide. The patient has recently been diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer but he is not in pain or nauseated. He found out because of a screening colonoscopy and a subsequent staging evaluation. He denies depression and seems to have a normal mood. He is asking for a prescription or combination of medications that he can take to end his life. He says he will wait for a few weeks or months until he starts to feel weak and then he wants to end his life before he becomes debilitated, bed-bound, or a burden to his family. Which of the following is most appropriate in this case?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Physician-assisted suicide is unethical and illegal in most states; only appropriate care should be provided.