Free US Legal and Ethical Nursing Practice MCQs with Answers
50 US Legal and Ethical Nursing Practice MCQs from International Nursing Practice, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
US nursing law and ethics include state nurse practice acts, scope of practice, standards of care, negligence, malpractice, documentation, confidentiality under HIPAA and informed consent. Ethical reasoning applies autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice and fidelity to conflicts such as refusal of treatment, advance directives, privacy breaches and mandatory reporting, which are not the same as legal liability.
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50 questions · page 2 of 3
- A. Leave the diagnosis in a return voicemail
- B. Confirm the patient's admission to the employer
- C. Return the call without confirming patient information
- D. Send the employer a copy of the discharge summary
Explanation: The nurse should return the call without confirming that the person is a patient or disclosing health information.
Correct answer: Return the call without confirming patient information- A. Ask the caregiver to explain the bruises
- B. Report suspected abuse according to state law and policy
- C. Wait until the patient provides proof of abuse
- D. Tell the patient to confront the caregiver at home
Explanation: The nurse should report reasonable suspicion of elder abuse through the required protective services or institutional process.
Correct answer: Report suspected abuse according to state law and policy- A. Ask security to prevent the patient from leaving
- B. Explain risks, notify the provider, and document the discussion
- C. Tell the patient that insurance will not pay for the stay
- D. Have a family member sign the discharge papers
Explanation: A competent adult may refuse continued treatment and leave against medical advice.
Correct answer: Explain risks, notify the provider, and document the discussion- A. Ignore the smell unless an error occurs
- B. Privately ask the coworker to finish the medication pass
- C. Prevent immediate patient risk and notify the supervisor
- D. Post a warning about the coworker on social media
Explanation: The nurse must protect patients from immediate harm and promptly report suspected impairment through the appropriate chain of command.
Correct answer: Prevent immediate patient risk and notify the supervisor- A. Accept it because the patient offered it freely
- B. Accept it but avoid documenting the gift
- C. Politely decline it and follow facility policy
- D. Give it to another patient on the unit
Explanation: The nurse should maintain professional boundaries by politely declining an expensive personal gift and following the facility's policy.
Correct answer: Politely decline it and follow facility policy- A. Join the discussion because both nurses are clinicians
- B. Ask them to continue after leaving the public area
- C. Record the discussion for a possible privacy complaint
- D. Repeat the diagnosis only to the patient's family
Explanation: Patient information should be discussed only in a private setting with staff who have a legitimate need to know.
Correct answer: Ask them to continue after leaving the public area- A. Whether the employer has called before
- B. A valid patient authorization or another legal basis
- C. Whether the results are considered serious
- D. Whether the patient's family agrees with disclosure
Explanation: The nurse must verify a valid authorization or another recognized legal basis before releasing laboratory results.
Correct answer: A valid patient authorization or another legal basis- A. Refuse abruptly and leave the patient without help
- B. Provide safe care while promptly seeking an appropriate replacement
- C. Tell the patient that the treatment is morally wrong
- D. Delay the treatment until the patient changes the request
Explanation: The nurse should not abandon the patient or impose personal beliefs. The nurse provides safe care, informs the supervisor promptly, and…
Correct answer: Provide safe care while promptly seeking an appropriate replacement- A. Accept the request but avoid discussing diagnosis
- B. Accept it after the patient's discharge
- C. Decline the request and maintain the professional boundary
- D. Ask the patient to send private messages instead
Explanation: The nurse should decline the social media request and maintain a professional therapeutic boundary.
Correct answer: Decline the request and maintain the professional boundary- A. Discuss the concern only with friends after the shift
- B. Use the facility's chain of command and document the safety concern
- C. Refuse all care until staffing levels improve
- D. Post the staffing problem on a public website
Explanation: The nurse should escalate the concern through the established chain of command and document objective facts and actions taken.
Correct answer: Use the facility's chain of command and document the safety concern- A. Send the record directly to the requesting attorney
- B. Give the record to the patient for personal delivery
- C. Forward the subpoena to the health information department
- D. Ignore the subpoena because records are confidential
Explanation: The nurse should promptly refer the subpoena to the health information or legal department.
Correct answer: Forward the subpoena to the health information department- A. The nurse's personal preference for treatment
- B. Implied consent in a life-threatening emergency
- C. The family's presumed refusal of treatment
- D. The patient's previous verbal complaint
Explanation: In an emergency, an unconscious patient who cannot consent is generally presumed to consent to necessary life-saving treatment when no…
Correct answer: Implied consent in a life-threatening emergency- A. Give access without documenting the request
- B. Tell the spouse to use the nurse's login
- C. Follow the facility process to document authorization
- D. Refuse because spouses can never receive access
Explanation: The nurse should use the facility's approved process to document the patient's authorization and arrange access.
Correct answer: Follow the facility process to document authorization- A. Delete the entry to prevent an inaccurate record
- B. Ask the colleague to correct the record through policy
- C. Document the dose as given based on the colleague's entry
- D. Wait until discharge before mentioning the concern
Explanation: The nurse should address the falsified or inaccurate documentation promptly through the facility's correction and reporting process.
Correct answer: Ask the colleague to correct the record through policy- A. Ask the nurse to choose the treatment
- B. Identify the legally authorized decision maker
- C. Allow the loudest family member to decide
- D. Proceed without consent because the patient lacks capacity
Explanation: The team must identify the legally authorized surrogate under applicable law and facility policy before proceeding with nonemergency…
Correct answer: Identify the legally authorized decision maker- A. Promise that participation will improve the outcome
- B. Explain that the investigator must discuss study risks and benefits
- C. Tell the patient that refusal could delay usual care
- D. Ask the patient to sign before discussing the study
Explanation: The investigator or research team must provide the study information needed for informed consent, including risks, benefits, alternatives…
Correct answer: Explain that the investigator must discuss study risks and benefits- A. Provide the information because police requests always permit disclosure
- B. Verify the request and follow the facility's privacy procedure
- C. Ask another patient whether the officer seems trustworthy
- D. Post the information at the nurses' station for pickup
Explanation: The nurse should verify the request and follow the facility's authorized process before disclosing protected information.
Correct answer: Verify the request and follow the facility's privacy procedure- A. Document understanding because the patient nodded
- B. Use a qualified medical interpreter and reassess understanding
- C. Ask a nearby visitor to translate the instructions
- D. Give written instructions only and end the teaching
Explanation: A qualified medical interpreter supports accurate communication and informed decision-making.
Correct answer: Use a qualified medical interpreter and reassess understanding- A. Leave it visible because no one has complained
- B. Close or secure the screen and report the privacy concern
- C. Photograph the screen for personal documentation
- D. Announce the patient's name so visitors can identify the record
Explanation: The nurse should immediately limit the exposure by securing the screen, then notify the appropriate privacy or supervisory department…
Correct answer: Close or secure the screen and report the privacy concern- A. Witness the signature because the form is already completed
- B. Ask the family to confirm the patient's decision
- C. Stop the witnessing process and report possible coercion
- D. Tell the patient to sign quickly before changing the decision
Explanation: A signature must be voluntary and free from coercion for consent to be valid.
Correct answer: Stop the witnessing process and report possible coercion