Ethics Flashcards
What is the foundation of ethics?
Morality
Describe morality
Principles concerning about the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior and it’s traditions
What is ethics?
The discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.
What theory is this? This theory wishes us to consider that actions are morally wrong not because of the consequences but because of the type of action and Only if it conforms to an overriding moral duty or principal.
Ideontological theory
What theory is this? Establish the basis for the validity of morals and Purin practical reasons, non-intuition, conscience or the production of effectiveness. Moral and ethical responsibilities and autonomous act not a coerced one.
Kant’s ethical theory
What theory is this? An action or practice is right if it leads to the greatest possible balance good.
Utilitarianism theory 
What theory is this? Argue that ignorance prevents people from endorsing principles of justice inclined towards their own combinations of talents and characteristics
Rawl’s ethical theory
What is autonomy?
Ability to make one’s own choice
Which ethical principle is this? Duty to do no harm or inflict evil while Doing good and the actor promotion of good, kindness and charity
Beneficence 
What is this ethic principle?
Based on what is deserved
Justice
What is the order for a DNR in order of importance:
- ) Decision of patient
- ) Dictates an advance directive
- ) judgment of guardian or healthcare agent appointed in an advance directive
- ) First order relative starting with husband, adult children, parents
- ) opinions of other relatives or friends who are able to provide a substituted judgment
- ) No family or friends available base decision on medical indications in the best interest of the patient taking into account weather see Pierwood for the reasonable medical goals of this particular patient
What is this definition? Patient must have a clear understanding of disease process, prognosis, benefits, and burdens of the recommended treatment and alternative treatment, and likely effect of not treating
Information, informed
What definition is this?
Consent is voluntary by the patient, I’ll Thomas authorization to proceed with the proposed intervention
Consent
Determination of decision making capacity can be made by who?
It can be made by medical personnel and does not require a court hearing
What is this? Refers to the ability of a person to make decision about his or her affairs
Competence
What are three factors to clinical assessment of decision making capacity?
Ability to understand, ability to evaluate and communicate
What is a mature minor and what decision making capacity do they have in regards to major healthcare decisions?
Immature minor is under the age of 18 in most states and are not competent to make major health decisions
Can emancipated minors in the state of Texas make their own healthcare decisions?
Yes
If you’re 16 and live on your own
What are five exceptions for confidentiality? 
- ) testifying in court
- ) Reporting communicable diseases
- ) reporting child abuse, spouse abuse, elder abuse
- ) reporting gunshot or suspicious wounds if they are reasonable cause to believe that they are a result of a crime
- ) Reporting for Worker’s Comp.
What type of death is the cessation of heartbeat and respiration?
Heart-lung death
The term whole brain death Means what?
The entire rain including the cerebral cortex and brainstem has died.
What are the two criteria for diagnosis of brain death?
Severe neurological event to produce Brain death and Reliable exam showing absence of brainstem function
What is a reliable test to assess absence of brainstem function?
Radionuclide tracer that shows no evidence of cerebral blood flow
For brain death when should you document time of death In the chart?
Before turning off the ventilator
What is this term? This is a total loss of cerebral cortical function with a functioning brainstem. Patient can appear in a sleep like coma for a few days to a few weeks. Patient can have unintelligible prompts, screams, grimacing entry without purpose. Swallowing is uncoordinated so the patient must be tube fed.  Many reflexes can be present including corneal, cough, gag and startle reflex.
Persistent vegetative state
Is persistent vegetative state considered death?
No because there’s still a functioning brain stem
What establishes the diagnosis for persistent vegetative state?
The diagnosis is clinical, notice any lab test is available. Neuro consult should be obtained for confirmation
Are Sensations such a pain, hunger, Thirst, joy, suffering, and awareness present in patients with Persistent vegetative state?
No they are absent and persistent vegetative state
Is the patient with persistent vegetative state ventilator dependent?
No they are not, the real decision is to withdraw fluid and nutrition.
What is this definition?
This means any effort to provided benefit to a patient that has highly likely to fail and whose rare exceptions cannot systematically be reproduced
Medical futility
What is futility?
Refers to a specific intervention applied to a specific patient at a specific time
What does negative rights of a patient mean?
The right to refuse, physician must be obligated to respect refusal of care
What are positive rights associated with the right of patients?
The right to request specific treatment
This imposes obligation on others, patients can’t demand treatment that is considered futile by physician because it will obligate the physician to violate their professional integrity and provide useless treatment
Jonors for bone and soft tissue organ donation must be younger than what age?
Age 70
Name some transplantable organs?
Kidney, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, and small bowel
Name some transplantable tissues that can be donated
Skin, long bone, heart valve, vein, tendon, cornea
Who are not candidates for organ donation?
Patience with infection, sepsis, or malignancy
A living will becomes effective when?
The Living will becomes effective on the determination of terminal illness or eminent death
The power of attorney for healthcare becomes effective when? 
It becomes effective when 2 physicians or one physician and one psychologist determine the principal is no longer decisional
What are the three Tasks ethics committee’s have ?
- ) Education committee members, staff and community
- ) involved in Policy formation, they will suggest policy on requesting medical staff
- ) Case consultation on request
What is this definition? A physician participate in the intentional, deliver act to cause immediate death of a person with terminal, incurable, or painful disease by medical administration of a lethal drug.
Euthanasia
What is this term? Position provides illegal drug with instructions for use but is not the agent. Patient decides when and if to use the drug.
Physician-assisted death
What is this term? Any practice that supports human excellence and lends itself to wisdom in discerning what is both good and right into the activities.
They were to
What is another word for veracity?
Honesty
What is this term associated with? Learning and recognition of one’s own limitations.
Humility
The concept of the end does justifies the means associate with which theory
Utilitarianism theory
The concept the end does not always justify the means is associated with which theory?
Deontological theory
Which theory focuses on respect for persons?
Deontology
What is the first approach to ethical reasoning?
Identify the facts of the case. State the ethical issue as you see it.
Review of the steps to ethical reasoning
There are six steps
- ) identify the facts, state ethical issue.
- ) identify sources of ethical guidance from perspective of different ethical theories, appeal to virtues
- ) identify reasonable available alternative course of action
- ) provide an argument for choosing a management plan for one course of action and state reasons for assigning priority to the course over the other options
- ) state clear critique of reasons given and respond to critique prn
- ) provide plan for implementing your chosen course
