ATI LPN
Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare Questions
Question 1 of 5
What is 'synthetic sanity?'
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Synthetic sanity refers to drug-induced mental stability, often debated in legal contexts.
Question 2 of 5
Which of the following best describes the relationship between clinical research and clinical medical practice, as discussed by Beauchamp and Childress?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Both research and clinical practice involve ethical considerations, and the distinction between them is increasingly seen as nuanced and context-dependent.
Question 3 of 5
A man arrives at the emergency department on a ventilator after an accident. He is brain dead by all criteria. He has an organ-donor card in his wallet indicating his desire to donate. The organ-donor team contacts the family. The family refuses to sign consent for the donation. What should be done?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Although the organ-donor card indicates the patient's wish to donate, it is still unacceptable to harvest organs against the direct wish of the family. The card is an indication of intent but not fully binding.
Question 4 of 5
You have an HIV-positive patient in the office. You ask her if she has informed her partner that she is HIV-positive. She has repeatedly resisted your attempts to have her inform the partner. She is pregnant with his child. The partner is in the waiting room and you have met him many times. What should you do?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The safety of an innocent person outweighs privacy. You are legally protected to inform the partner due to the risk of transmission, especially given her pregnancy.
Question 5 of 5
Mr. Sakiewiec is a 32-year-old man with severe mental retardation who has been institutionalized since childhood. He is noncommunicative and has never been able to verbalize his preferences on any decision. His parents are dead and the institution and a court-appointed guardian manages him. He has developed leukemia that is severe and incurable. Chemotherapy involves significant risk and discomfort and only a small chance of prolonging his survival. What should be done in terms of his medical treatment?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: For a never-competent patient, the guardian decides based on the patient's best interests, as no prior wishes can be determined.