Chapter 11: The ethical mental health nurse
1. Singer (1994:3) says that ‘ethics is _____.’
Answer: About how we ought to live
2. There are four moral principles. Please list all four.
Answer: Respect for autonomy, beneficence , non-maleficence and justice
3. The term which tends to be used interchangeable with ‘autonomy’ is_____.
Answer: Self-determination
4. What is meant by ‘paternalism’?
Answer: Paternalism is an institutional construction that overrules the preferences, decisions, or actions of a patient in support of their overall treatment and evokes an oppressive fostering of dependence (Breier-Mackie, 2006).
5. Could you say that an ethical decision will always be the right one?
Answer: No, because ‘right’ does not always mean ‘correct’ and is determined by values and principles, not necessarily, research evidence.
