ATI LPN
Current Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare Questions
Question 1 of 5
The prediction of dangerousness is probably best in which of the following situations?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Past serious violence is a stronger predictor of future dangerousness than hallucinations or calm periods.
Question 2 of 5
You are working at the desk in your hospital when another employee of the hospital asks for information about a patient who was admitted last night with a pulmonary embolus secondary to cancer. You know the details of the case. The person requesting the information states that he is a close friend and co-worker of your patient. He shows you proper identification proving he really is a co-worker of your patient who also works in the hospital. Which of the following is the most appropriate response to this request?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Confidentiality is a fundamental right of all patients. As part of maintaining the patient's autonomy in revealing information only to those they wish to be informed of their condition, you must refuse to release any specific information of the patient's medical history or current medical problems without direct permission from the patient. Respect this right even if the person asking is a co-worker.
Question 3 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 4 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 5 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.