Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Caring for an aging population. This is a uniquely twenty-first-century issue as advancements in healthcare have increased life expectancy, leading to a larger elderly population with complex healthcare needs. Nurses must adapt their skills and knowledge to provide specialized care for this demographic. B: Increased patient acuity is a common challenge but not unique to the twenty-first century. Nurses have always dealt with varying levels of patient acuity. C: Access to health care services is an ongoing issue that has been prevalent for many years, not specifically unique to the twenty-first century. D: Expanding technology is also a significant challenge for nurses in the modern era, but it is not uniquely a twenty-first-century issue as technology has been advancing for decades.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Step-by-step rationale for why answer A is correct: 1. Professional duty: Nurses have a duty to provide patient-centered care regardless of personal beliefs. 2. Legal liability: Withholding treatment based on personal beliefs can lead to legal consequences. 3. Ethical considerations: Nurses must prioritize patient care over personal beliefs. 4. Rights of conscience: Nurses may have the right to refuse to participate in certain treatments, but they must still ensure patient care. 5. Patient-centered care: Nurses must respect patient autonomy and provide care based on the patient's wishes. Summary of why the other choices are incorrect: B. Irrelevant to the nurse's duty to provide patient-centered care. C. Nurses should not impose their beliefs on patients but should respect and support their choices. D. Suggesting the hospital not accept federal funding does not address the nurse's duty to provide patient-centered care.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). HMOs focus on preventive care and health promotion activities, such as regular check-ups, screenings, and wellness programs. They emphasize keeping patients healthy and offer incentives for healthy behaviors. This aligns with the patient's interest in health promotion activities like walking, swimming, and eating healthy. Choice B (Fee for Service) typically does not emphasize preventive care and may not provide the support for the patient's health promotion activities. Choice C (Preferred Provider Organization - PPO) may offer some preventive care services, but HMOs are more structured and proactive in promoting health and wellness. Choice D is incorrect because many health insurance plans, including HMOs, cover preventive care and health promotion activities to encourage overall well-being.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Pilot. A pilot study involves testing a new intervention on a small scale to assess feasibility and potential outcomes before implementing it on a larger scale. In this case, the unit is planning to use an Electronic Medical Record for a limited time to evaluate its impact on documentation time and patient care. This approach allows for targeted feedback and adjustments based on the outcomes observed during the trial period. A: Ethnography involves in-depth observation and analysis of a specific culture or group, which is not the focus of the scenario. C: Secondary data analysis involves the use of existing data for research purposes, not the implementation of a new intervention. D: Phenomenology focuses on understanding individuals' subjective experiences, which is not the primary goal of implementing an Electronic Medical Record in this case.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C because the nurse manager's salary is typically considered a fixed cost, not a variable cost. Fixed costs remain constant regardless of the level of production or activity, while variable costs change in direct proportion to the level of activity. The nurse manager's salary is a fixed cost because it remains the same regardless of how many nurses are employed or how many patients are being cared for. A: Fixed costs such as accreditation fees are correct examples. B: Fixed costs like the cost for the automated medication-dispensing system are also correct examples. D: Variable costs like the salary expense for registered nurses are correct examples. Therefore, choice C would indicate a need for further teaching as it misidentifies the nurse manager's salary as a variable cost when it should be classified as a fixed cost.