Core Ethical Concepts
What is capacity?
The ability to understand, retain, consider information and communicate a decision.
Nurses are responsible for encouraging what type of discussions?
Discussions about wishes, goals, and preferences.
What is the principle of double effect?
An action intended for good may have an unintended negative outcome.
What is the primary ethical resource for nurses in Canada?
The CNA Code of Ethics.
Why does food/fluid hold ethical weight at EOL?
Strong emotional, cultural, and symbolic meaning.
What is an ethical/moral dilemma?
A situation with >1 option where each has good and bad consequences.
What is one major nursing role in palliative care?
Preventing and relieving suffering.
What makes an action ethically acceptable under double effect?
The intent must be the desired good outcome.
What is the purpose of ethical frameworks?
To guide systematic thinking and decision-making.
What risk can clinical assisted nutrition increase?
Aspiration, discomfort, or infection.
What is ethical/moral distress?
Knowing the right thing to do but being unable to act on it.
What does "helping patients live and die with dignity" include?
Support, respect, symptom management, and honouring values.
What is palliative sedation used for?
Controlling intractable symptoms like severe pain or SOB at EOL.
How can the healthcare team help in ethical situations?
By offering different perspectives and support.
Why must cultural and religious beliefs be included in decisions about nutrition?
They shape values about feeding and care at EOL.
What does veracity mean?
Truth-telling (linked to autonomy).
What should nurses consider when facing ethical uncertainty?
Self-reflection and checking personal biases.
When is palliative sedation typically considered?
When death is expected within days to a couple of weeks.
When should a specialized palliative team be consulted?
For complex ethical or symptom scenarios beyond general care.
What is essential for navigating ethical issues with families at EOL?
Clear, honest communication about benefits and risks.
Name the five key ethical principles in healthcare.
Autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and veracity.
Why must nurses provide ethical care across all care settings?
Because palliative principles apply throughout the illness trajectory.
How is palliative sedation ethically different from MAiD?
Intent is symptom relief, not to cause death.
What is the role of an institutional ethics committee?
To provide expert guidance on complex ethical dilemmas.
What is relational ethics?
The ongoing, relationship-based process guiding all interactions in palliative EOL care.