Midwifery Exam Questions Related

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The AGACNP is covering an internal medicine service and is paged by staff to see a patient who has just pulled out his ET tube. After the situation has been assessed, it is clear that the patient will go into respiratory failure and likely die if he is not reintubated. The patient is awake and alert and is adamant that he does not want to be reintubated. The AGACNP is concerned that there is not enough time to establish a DNRthe patient needs to be reintubated immediately and already is becoming obtunded. Which ethical principles are in conflict here?

  • A. Veracity and beneficence
  • B. Beneficence and nonmalfeasance
  • C. Autonomy and beneficence
  • D. Justice and autonomy
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: Autonomy and beneficence. Autonomy refers to the patient's right to make their own decisions regarding their healthcare. In this case, the patient is refusing reintubation, exercising his autonomy. However, beneficence, the duty to act in the patient's best interest, also comes into play as the patient's refusal could lead to respiratory failure and death. The conflict arises from balancing the patient's autonomy with the healthcare provider's duty to provide beneficial care.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because they do not accurately capture the ethical conflict present in the scenario. Veracity (A) refers to truthfulness, which is not the primary issue here. Nonmalfeasance (B) is the duty to do no harm, which is not directly relevant to the conflict between the patient's autonomy and the need for beneficial care. Justice (D) relates to fairness in resource allocation and is not the primary issue in this case.