Professional Ethics & Standards Flashcards

A bariatric unit receives one bariatric-rated lift for four patients who need it. Which ethical framework most directly guides fair allocation of this equipment?

Answer: Distributive justice

Distributive justice addresses the fair allocation of limited healthcare resources among patients.

A nurse notices a colleague repeatedly refuses assignments to care for patients with severe obesity, citing personal discomfort. This pattern most clearly conflicts with:

Answer: The professional duty to provide nonjudgmental care to all patients

Refusing care based on patient weight reflects bias and violates the professional obligation to provide equitable, nonjudgmental care.

Before enrolling a bariatric patient in a clinical trial of a new anastomosis technique, the nurse verifies the patient knows participation is voluntary and can be withdrawn anytime. This protects the ethical requirement of:

Answer: Informed consent in research

Research ethics require voluntary informed consent with the explicit right to withdraw without penalty.

A postoperative patient confides she has resumed smoking but begs the nurse not to tell the surgeon. The nurse's best response reflects which balance?

Answer: Explaining that the care team needs this information for her safety, since smoking raises ulcer and healing risks

The nurse should be transparent that clinically significant information must be shared with the team, preserving both honesty and safety.

Which scenario is an example of the ethical principle of nonmaleficence in bariatric nursing?

Answer: Double-checking that a bariatric bed's weight capacity is adequate before patient transfer

Nonmaleficence is the duty to prevent harm, such as avoiding equipment failure injuries.

A bariatric nurse is offered an expensive gift by a grateful patient's family at discharge. According to professional standards, the nurse should:

Answer: Politely decline or follow facility policy on gifts, explaining professional boundaries

Substantial gifts can blur professional boundaries, so nurses should decline or defer to institutional gift policies.

A hospital markets its bariatric program using before-and-after photos of a patient without written authorization. The bariatric nurse who learns of this should recognize it as:

Answer: A privacy violation requiring escalation, since identifiable patient images need authorization

Use of identifiable patient images for marketing requires specific written authorization under HIPAA, and nurses must report violations.