1Question
A nurse sees an aide roughly pull a resident's arm and hears the resident cry out. What should the nurse do first?
- Confront the aide in the hallway
- Wait until the next shift to gather more evidence
- Ask the resident's family what they think happened
- Assess the resident, keep the resident safe from further contact and report immediately according to facility policy and law
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D. Assess the resident, keep the resident safe from further contact and report immediately according to facility policy and law
Topic: Mandatory reporting of suspected abuse
Nursing facility staff must protect residents and report alleged abuse immediately to the administrator and designated authorities. The nurse first ensures the resident is safe and assessed, then follows the reporting chain without waiting.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Confrontation can escalate and does not protect the resident.
- B – Delay leaves the resident at risk and breaches the reporting duty.
- C – Asking the family first delays the required report.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
2Question
A client's biopsy result shows cancer. The provider has not yet spoken with the client, and the family has asked staff not to tell the client. The client asks the nurse, 'Do I have cancer?' Which response by the nurse is best?
- 'Try not to worry about that right now; let us concentrate on getting you stronger.'
- 'Yes, the biopsy showed cancer. I am sorry you had to hear it from me.'
- 'I can hear how worried you are about the result. I will tell the provider that you want to discuss it today.'
- 'Your family thinks it is better for you not to talk about the results yet.'
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C. 'I can hear how worried you are about the result. I will tell the provider that you want to discuss it today.'
Topic: veracity
Veracity forbids deceiving the client, and the client has a right to information about the client's own health. Telling the client a new medical diagnosis is the provider's responsibility, so the nurse acknowledges the concern honestly and advocates for a prompt discussion.
Why the others are wrong
- A – This sidesteps a direct question and gives false reassurance, which fails the duty of truthfulness.
- B – Giving a new medical diagnosis is the provider's role; the nurse cannot answer the questions about treatment and prognosis that will follow.
- D – It lets the family's request override the client's right to know and reveals that information is being withheld.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
3Question
A nurse tells a client in pain, 'I will be back in 20 minutes to see whether the medicine has worked.' Although the unit becomes very busy, the nurse returns at the stated time. Which ethical principle does the nurse's action illustrate?
- Fidelity
- Veracity
- Justice
- Autonomy
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A. Fidelity
Topic: ethical principles
Fidelity is faithfulness to commitments: keeping the promises made to a client. Returning as promised despite competing demands is the direct expression of that principle.
Why the others are wrong
- B – Veracity is telling the truth; the issue here is keeping a promise, not the honesty of a statement.
- C – Justice concerns fair distribution of care and resources among clients.
- D – Autonomy is the client's right to make the client's own decisions.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
4Question
A nurse in intensive care is caring for an unresponsive client with no advance directive whose family insists on continuing aggressive treatment that the nurse believes only prolongs suffering. The nurse feels unable to do what the nurse believes is right. Which actions are appropriate?
Select all that apply.
- Ask for a consultation with the ethics committee
- Raise the concern with the provider and suggest a care conference with the family
- Tell the family that continuing treatment is cruel to the client
- Respond more slowly to the client's alarms and treatments
- Continue to give competent, compassionate care while the concern is being addressed
Show the answers and explanation
Answers: A, B and E.
- A – Ask for a consultation with the ethics committee
- B – Raise the concern with the provider and suggest a care conference with the family
- E – Continue to give competent, compassionate care while the concern is being addressed
Topic: moral distress
Moral distress arises when a nurse knows what seems to be the right action but feels unable to take it. The professional response is to voice the concern through proper channels - the team, a family conference, the ethics committee - while continuing to meet the duty of care to the client.
Why the others are wrong
- C – Imposing the nurse's own judgment on the family is not advocacy and damages trust; the family needs information and support through a structured discussion.
- D – Giving less than the prescribed care is a breach of duty and puts the client at risk.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
5Question
A nurse has cared for a long-stay client on a rehabilitation unit for six weeks. Which actions by the nurse keep professional boundaries?
Select all that apply.
- Accepting a handwritten thank-you card addressed to the whole unit staff
- Accepting a $100 gift card that the client presses into the nurse's hand 'for your children'
- Accepting the client's friend request on a personal social media account
- Posting a photo of the staff party on a personal account, with the client's door nameplate visible in the background
- Declining the client's offer of paid work looking after the client's house, and explaining the nurse's professional role
Show the answers and explanation
Answers: A and E.
- A – Accepting a handwritten thank-you card addressed to the whole unit staff
- E – Declining the client's offer of paid work looking after the client's house, and explaining the nurse's professional role
Topic: boundaries, gifts and social media
The nurse-client relationship exists for the client's benefit, and the nurse is responsible for keeping it professional. A card of thanks to the staff is a token of no monetary value. Money or gifts of value, a personal online connection with a current client, and a business arrangement with a client all blur the relationship, and an image that shows a client's name discloses protected information.
Why the others are wrong
- B – A gift of monetary value creates obligation and is a boundary crossing; it should be declined kindly or handled under facility policy.
- C – A personal online connection with a current client blurs the professional relationship and risks disclosure of private information.
- D – A visible client name in a posted image is a breach of confidentiality, intended or not.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
6Question
A nurse is assigned to care for a client scheduled for a procedure that conflicts with the nurse's deeply held moral beliefs. The facility's policy permits nurses to decline participation in such procedures. Which action by the nurse is best?
- Accept the assignment, then refuse to take part when the procedure begins
- Tell the charge nurse or manager as early as possible so another qualified nurse can be assigned
- Explain the objection to the client and encourage the client to reconsider having the procedure at all
- Accept the assignment and give only minimal care to the client during the procedure
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. Tell the charge nurse or manager as early as possible so another qualified nurse can be assigned
Topic: conscientious objection and timely notice
A nurse may decline to take part in a procedure on grounds of conscience when policy allows, but must give timely notice so that the client's care is not interrupted and the client is not abandoned. The nurse should not impose personal beliefs on the client.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Refusing at the last minute leaves no time to arrange a replacement and risks abandoning the client.
- C – Pressing the client to reconsider imposes the nurse's beliefs on the client's autonomous choice.
- D – Giving minimal care is a failure of professional duty and a form of covert refusal.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
7Question
A family and the health care team disagree about continuing mechanical ventilation for a client with a poor prognosis, and the nurse suggests an ethics consultation. How should the nurse describe the role of the ethics committee to the family?
- It reviews the situation and offers non-binding recommendations to help the family and team reach a decision
- It issues a binding ruling that the family and the team must follow once the committee has completed its review
- It assesses legal risk to the hospital and decides whether treatment will continue
- It can be requested only by a physician after the family has been given notice
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A. It reviews the situation and offers non-binding recommendations to help the family and team reach a decision
Topic: role of the ethics committee
An ethics committee or consultation service is advisory. It helps clarify values, options and ethical principles and gives recommendations, but the decision remains with the client or surrogate and the treating team. Family members, clients and any team member can usually request a consultation.
Why the others are wrong
- B – The committee advises; it does not issue binding rulings, and decisions stay with the client or surrogate and the team.
- C – Legal risk is managed by risk management and counsel, not the ethics committee.
- D – Clients, families and any team member may usually request an ethics consultation.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
8Question
A hospital ethics committee is setting criteria for allocating a limited supply of a costly new therapy. A nurse member wants the process to meet the accountability for reasonableness framework, which focuses on a fair decision-making process. Which proposal best fits the framework?
- Let the medical director decide each case privately so decisions are quick and consistent
- Publish the criteria and the reasons for decisions, and give affected clients and families a way to appeal
- Apply the criteria agreed upon last year and do not allow any later revision of them
- Give priority to clients whose insurers reimburse the highest share because it protects the hospital budget
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. Publish the criteria and the reasons for decisions, and give affected clients and families a way to appeal
Topic: accountability for reasonableness in allocation
The accountability for reasonableness framework asks that the reasons for limit-setting decisions be public, rest on reasons that fair-minded people would accept as relevant, include a way to challenge and revise decisions, and be enforced. Publishing criteria and reasons and allowing appeals meets these conditions.
Why the others are wrong
- A – A private decision by one person is not public and cannot be examined or challenged.
- C – A fixed set of criteria that cannot be revised blocks the revision condition, even if the criteria were once agreed.
- D – Reimbursement level is not a relevant reason for allocating a therapy and would treat clients unfairly.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
9Question
A nurse preparing to give a prescribed dose realizes it exceeds the maximum safe dose and holds it until the prescriber is contacted. Which ethical principle does this action most directly reflect?
- Autonomy, respecting the client's right to decide
- Beneficence, acting to promote the client's good
- Justice, distributing care fairly among clients
- Nonmaleficence, avoiding harm
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D. Nonmaleficence, avoiding harm
Nonmaleficence is the duty to avoid causing harm. Holding a dose that is above the safe limit prevents injury to the client and shows this principle in action.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Autonomy concerns the client's right to make decisions; the client's choice is not involved here.
- B – Beneficence is acting to do good; here the nurse acts to prevent harm.
- C – Justice concerns fair distribution of resources and care, which is not at issue.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
10Question
A client in his seventies with advanced COPD is hospitalized with pneumonia that the provider expects to improve with treatment. The nurse joins the goals-of-care discussion. Which client statement best supports a plan for full, active treatment?
- My daughter says that I would never forgive myself if I gave up now, and she wants everything done.
- I want to beat this infection so that I can go home and spend one more summer at my cabin.
- I do not want any of the nurses or doctors to think that I have stopped trying to get well.
- The doctor told me that an intensive care bed is open today, so I guess we might as well use it.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. I want to beat this infection so that I can go home and spend one more summer at my cabin.
Topic: goals of care and active treatment
Active treatment is best supported when it can reasonably reach a goal that matters to the client. Here the infection is treatable and the client names a clear personal goal of returning home, so full treatment fits his own values.
Why the others are wrong
- A – This reflects the daughter's wishes and guilt, not the client's own goals.
- C – Fear of how staff will see him is not a goal of treatment.
- D – Bed availability is not a reason to choose treatment and shows no personal goal.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
11Question
A competent client who has received a complete explanation declines a recommended procedure. The family urges the team to proceed, and the provider asks the nurse to talk the client around. Which nurse action best demonstrates ethical practice?
- Describe the worst possible outcomes of refusing so the client will reconsider
- Tell the family that their wishes will be followed because they will provide care at home
- Document the refusal as noncompliance and continue to prepare the client for the procedure
- Support the client's right to refuse, make sure the team hears the decision, and answer any questions
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D. Support the client's right to refuse, make sure the team hears the decision, and answer any questions
Topic: client refusal and autonomy
A competent adult has the right to accept or refuse treatment, and the nurse's duty is to support that right. The nurse makes sure the decision is understood by the team and offers information without pressure.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Frightening the client to change the decision is coercive and violates autonomy.
- B – A competent client decides, not the family, even if the family will help with care.
- C – Labeling the refusal as noncompliance and proceeding ignores the client's right to refuse.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
12Question
A nurse tells a colleague, 'I must tell this client the truth about her prognosis, because honesty is my professional duty whatever the consequences.' Which type of moral reasoning does this statement reflect?
- A consequence-based approach that chooses the act with the greatest total benefit
- A duty- and rights-based approach in which some acts are required regardless of outcome
- A virtue-based approach that asks what a caring person would do
- A custom-based approach that follows what the unit has always done
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. A duty- and rights-based approach in which some acts are required regardless of outcome
Topic: duty-based versus outcome-based reasoning
Duty- and rights-based reasoning holds that certain acts, such as telling the truth, are required because of obligations and rights, whatever the results. Consequence-based reasoning judges acts by outcomes, which is not what the nurse says.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Consequence-based reasoning weighs outcomes, but the nurse says outcomes do not matter here.
- C – Virtue reasoning looks at character traits and what a caring person would do; the nurse cites a duty.
- D – Custom is not an ethical theory, and the nurse refers to professional duty, not habit.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
13Question
A unit educator is designing a program to help nurses sustain their integrity when situations conflict with their values, with the aim of building moral resilience. Which foundation should the program build first?
- Emotional distancing from client outcomes so that decisions feel less personal
- Ethical competence in recognizing and reasoning through dilemmas
- Strict compliance with every unit routine, regardless of the situation
- Assigning ethically complex clients only to the most senior nurses
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. Ethical competence in recognizing and reasoning through dilemmas
Topic: foundations of moral resilience
Moral resilience rests on ethical competence: knowing ethical principles, recognizing ethical problems and reasoning toward action that fits one's values. Detachment, rigid rule-following or avoiding complexity do not strengthen the capacity to respond to moral adversity.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Distancing reduces engagement and tends to lead to moral disengagement and distress rather than resilience.
- C – Rigid compliance can itself produce moral distress when a routine conflicts with a client's good.
- D – Excluding most nurses from complex cases denies them the experience needed to build competence.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
14Question
At the end of a series of visits, a client sends the clinic nurse a friend request on a personal social media account. Which response is most appropriate?
- Decline kindly, explain that professional boundaries keep the focus on the client's care, and offer the clinic's portal for contact
- Accept the request but limit posts so that the client cannot see personal information
- Ignore the request and stop answering the client's questions at visits
- Accept the request because the client has been a long-term client of the clinic
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A. Decline kindly, explain that professional boundaries keep the focus on the client's care, and offer the clinic's portal for contact
Topic: professional boundaries
A therapeutic relationship is professional, centered on the client's needs and bounded. The nurse declines a personal connection respectfully and offers appropriate channels.
Why the others are wrong
- B – Accepting creates a dual relationship and risks boundary and privacy problems.
- C – Ignoring the request and withdrawing from the client is unprofessional and may harm trust.
- D – Length of relationship does not change the need to maintain a professional relationship.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
15Question
A competent client who has been told about the benefits and risks of a colonoscopy declines it. The nurse believes the client is making a mistake. Which action is consistent with the ethical principle of autonomy?
- Respect the decision, make sure the client has accurate information and alternatives, and document the informed refusal
- Keep pressing the client until agreement is given
- Schedule the procedure anyway in the hope the client will attend
- Tell the client's family about the refusal so that they can persuade the client
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A. Respect the decision, make sure the client has accurate information and alternatives, and document the informed refusal
Topic: autonomy and informed refusal
Autonomy is the client's right to make informed decisions about their own care, including refusal. The nurse supports the decision with information and alternatives and documents it, while leaving the door open to reconsider.
Why the others are wrong
- B – Pressure undermines voluntary decision-making and autonomy.
- C – This disregards the client's explicit decision.
- D – Sharing the client's decision without permission breaches confidentiality.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
16Question
An ethics consult is requested for a client with advanced dementia whose family disagrees about placing a feeding tube. The nurse is asked to begin the team's structured ethical decision-making process. Which activity belongs at the very first step?
- Decide which ethical principle, such as beneficence or autonomy, should carry the most weight in this case
- Collect the clinical facts, the client's known wishes and quality-of-life information
- Select the option that fits facility policy best and begin carrying it out for the client
- Evaluate the outcome of the decision after it has been put into practice on the unit
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. Collect the clinical facts, the client's known wishes and quality-of-life information
Topic: first step of ethical decision-making
Structured ethical decision frameworks begin by gathering the facts: medical indications, the client's preferences, quality of life and the surrounding context. Principles are weighed and an action chosen only after the facts are clear.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Weighing principles comes after the facts of the case are gathered; starting here risks deciding on incomplete information.
- C – Acting is a late step; choosing and implementing before the facts and options are explored is premature.
- D – Evaluation is the final step, after a decision has been carried out.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
17Question
During a surge, an ICU triage team allocates its limited ventilators to the clients most likely to benefit, aiming to save the largest number of lives overall. Which ethical approach is guiding the team?
- Deontological, following fixed duties regardless of consequences
- Utilitarian
- Autonomy-based, letting each client's own preference decide
- Virtue-based, focusing only on the nurse's personal character
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. Utilitarian
Topic: utilitarian ethics in scarce resources
Utilitarian ethics aims to produce the greatest good for the greatest number, weighing benefits and harms impartially. Crisis allocation of scarce resources often draws on this approach.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Duty-based ethics concentrates on rules and duties, not on total benefit.
- C – Autonomy-based reasoning centers on individual choice, which cannot settle a scarcity question.
- D – Virtue ethics asks what a person of good character would do, rather than how to maximize overall benefit.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
18Question
After several weeks of caring for clients whose treatment plans conflict with her values, an ICU nurse tells a colleague she feels worn down but wants to stay in the profession. Which action best reflects building moral resilience?
- Name her distress, clarify her values and use ethics resources
- Refuse every assignment that involves end-of-life decisions
- Hide her feelings so that they never show during client care
- Move to a unit that she hopes will never present ethical issues
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A. Name her distress, clarify her values and use ethics resources
Topic: moral resilience
Moral resilience means keeping one's integrity when situations are ethically complicated and painful. It is built by self-awareness, clarifying values, speaking up and using supports such as ethics consultation.
Why the others are wrong
- B – Avoiding assignments sidesteps the challenge and does not build capacity to face it.
- C – Suppression tends to increase distress rather than develop resilience.
- D – No unit is free from ethical challenges, so avoidance is not a durable solution.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
19Question
A nurse is troubled because a facility policy permits discharging a homeless client to the street in winter, although no law prohibits it. A colleague says, 'If it's allowed, there is nothing to decide.' Which statement best reflects the role of ethics?
- Ethics comes into play only when a law has been broken
- Policy always outweighs ethical concerns in nursing practice
- Ethical judgment reflects personal opinion and has no place in decisions
- Ethical reasoning asks what should be done even where policy allows something
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D. Ethical reasoning asks what should be done even where policy allows something
Topic: ethics versus law and policy
Law and policy set minimum standards, but ethics asks what ought to be done, including whether an allowed action is right. Nurses use ethical principles and the profession's code to guide and sometimes challenge policy.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Ethical issues arise even when no law is violated.
- B – Nurses are accountable to ethical standards in addition to policy and law.
- C – Ethical reasoning uses shared principles and frameworks, not just personal opinion.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
20Question
An ICU nurse believes continuing aggressive treatment is harming a dying client. She has voiced her concern, but the plan stays the same, and she feels guilty and sleepless. Which term best describes her experience?
- Moral dilemma between two equally right choices
- Burnout from long working hours
- Compassion satisfaction
- Moral distress
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D. Moral distress
Topic: moral distress
Moral distress occurs when a nurse believes she knows the right action but is prevented from taking it by constraints such as hierarchy or policy. It often brings guilt, anger and sleeplessness.
Why the others are wrong
- A – A dilemma involves a choice between competing options that seem equally justified, but she knows what she believes is right.
- B – Burnout is exhaustion from chronic work stress, whereas this is tied to a specific conflict with her values.
- C – Compassion satisfaction is the fulfilment of helping, the opposite of her state.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
21Question
A director announces that units whose hand-hygiene audit scores do not reach 100 percent each month will lose their unit bonus. Within two months, several nurses are found to have altered audit sheets. Which leadership error most likely encouraged this behavior?
- Holding every nurse personally accountable for her own hand hygiene practice
- Sharing audit findings with staff each month along with coaching on how to improve
- Tying rewards to an unrealistic target without helping staff meet it
- Posting each unit's results beside the hospital average
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C. Tying rewards to an unrealistic target without helping staff meet it
Topic: leadership behavior and unethical practice
Unrealistic performance expectations combined with penalties or rewards push staff to misreport results. Leaders support ethical practice by setting achievable goals, supporting staff in meeting them and keeping accountability fair.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Individual accountability is appropriate and does not by itself lead to falsification.
- B – Feedback with coaching helps staff improve and supports honest reporting.
- D – Benchmarking is a normal quality practice; it does not create unrealistic pressure alone.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
22Question
A nurse manager introduces an ethical decision-making framework for the unit. Which comment by a staff nurse shows correct understanding of its purpose?
- It gives one correct answer for every dilemma, so we no longer need to discuss cases together as a team.
- It helps us name the values and principles in conflict and weigh our options in an orderly way.
- It replaces law and facility policy whenever the two disagree with our personal beliefs.
- It is meant for end-of-life situations only, since other dilemmas are settled by policy.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. It helps us name the values and principles in conflict and weigh our options in an orderly way.
Topic: purpose of an ethical decision-making framework
An ethical decision-making framework structures the problem, makes values and principles explicit, and guides deliberation about options. It supports reasoning; it does not give automatic answers, override law and policy, or apply only to one kind of case.
Why the others are wrong
- A – A framework supports deliberation and does not give one automatic answer.
- C – Nurses remain bound by law and policy; the framework does not override them.
- D – Frameworks are used for any ethical dilemma, not only end-of-life care.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
23Question
A critical care nurse caring for a client who is receiving aggressive treatment she believes is futile feels distressed. Using the AACN 4 A's model, she tells herself, 'My feelings are valid, and I remain committed to doing what is right for my clients.' Which step is she performing?
- Ask: recognizing signs of moral distress
- Affirm: validating feelings and professional commitment
- Assess: identifying the source of the distress and her readiness to act
- Act: carrying out a plan to address the problem
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. Affirm: validating feelings and professional commitment
Topic: AACN 4 A's model for moral distress
The AACN 4 A's (Ask, Affirm, Assess, Act) guide a nurse through moral distress. Affirm means validating the distress and one's professional commitment to take action, and it follows asking whether distress is present.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Ask is the first step, in which she recognizes the distress; she has already done this.
- C – Assess involves analyzing the source of the distress and her readiness to act.
- D – Act involves implementing a strategy; she has not yet begun to do this.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
24Question
A nurse is using the four-step IDEA framework for a client who wants to stop dialysis while the family wants treatment continued. The nurse has just completed the first step, identifying the clinical facts. What is the next step?
- Determine which ethical principles, such as autonomy and beneficence, are in conflict
- Carry out the choice that the family prefers, since it protects the client from harm and avoids delay
- Evaluate the decision by checking how the client and family feel about it afterward
- List the possible courses of action and weigh the likely results of each
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A. Determine which ethical principles, such as autonomy and beneficence, are in conflict
Topic: steps of an ethical decision-making framework
In the IDEA framework the facts come first, then the nurse determines the ethical principles in conflict, such as the client's autonomy versus beneficence, then explores options, and finally acts and evaluates. Skipping a step risks acting on an unclear problem.
Why the others are wrong
- B – Acting on the family's preference skips the analysis and overrides the client's autonomy.
- C – Evaluation is the last step and cannot occur before any action has been taken.
- D – Exploring options follows the identification of the principles in conflict.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
25Question
For three days a client with a fractured femur has rated pain 8 on a 10-point scale despite scheduled analgesia. The nurse requests a change in the analgesic plan from the prescriber. Which ethical principle most directly guides this action?
- Distributive justice
- Respect for autonomy
- Beneficence
- Veracity (truth telling)
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C. Beneficence
Topic: beneficence in pain management
Beneficence is the duty to act for the good of the client. Advocating for effective pain relief promotes the client's wellbeing and is a direct expression of that principle.
Why the others are wrong
- A – Justice is about fairness in distributing care and resources, not relief for one client.
- B – Autonomy concerns the client's right to decide; no choice is being made here.
- D – Veracity is the duty to tell the truth.
Written for the Medical Exam YouTube channel and answered blind by a second AI model before publication.
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