Chapter 5: Ethics

1. Does ethics provide us with clear views as to what is right and wrong or does it help us to identify different views and issues so that we can make a reasoned decision?

Answer: It helps us to identify different views and issues.

2. An ethical dilemma is where we are unclear as to what to do. Yes / No.

Answer: No – not all decisions are ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas involve situations where two or more values are in conflict but a decision has to be made

3. There is always a ‘right’ way to act regardless of the situation or context. Yes / No.

Answer: No – the most appropriate way of acting depends on the context as well as wider issues

4. Once we have learnt about ethics we will know what to do in each situation. Yes / No.

Answer: No – ethics help us to identify the issues we need to explore and arrive at a decision but as situations differ we can never know everything there is to know about ethics

5. What do we mean by ‘ethical sensitivity’?

Answer: The ability to draw upon professional and personal resources in order to make appropriate in complex clinical situations.

6. What influences can shape our values?

Answer: our upbringing, our religion, our culture, our profession, our education

7. Name some of the sources of information nurses might refer to in order to identify ethical standards of behaviour.

Answer: code of conduct, relevant laws, local and national policy documents

8. Which ethical principle is concerned with issues of equality and fairness?

Answer: justice

9. Which ethical principle is concerned with doing good?

Answer: beneficence

10. Which ethical principle is concerned with respecting people’s right to make their own decisions?

Answer: autonomy

11. Utilitarianism in one form of ______ ethics

Answer: consequentialist

12. The ethical approach that is concerned with whether actions are good or bad in and of themselves is ______.

Answer: deontology

13. Which ethical principle is relevant to consent?

Answer: autonomy

14. Non-maleficence is concerned with doing good. Yes / No

Answer: No – it is concerned with not doing harm.

15. What tools can we use to help us make ethical decisions?

Answer: There are a number of ethical decision making frameworks available that help us to identify the issues we need to consider and to arrive at a reasoned course of action.