After normal vaginal delivery patient ask general anesthesia but nurse tell patient to tolerate the pain and the pain will subside after some time. This action most appropriately represents:

1. A

   Negligence & Abuse

2. B

   Ignorance and avoidance

3. C

   Failure to Autonomy care

4. D

   Dishonesty to patient concern

Appeared in: NORCET 10 Prelims-2026

Explanation

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• The core issue is the violation of a patient's right to self-determination in their healthcare.
• Autonomy is the ethical principle that grants patients the right to make informed decisions about their own medical care, including pain management.
• The nurse's response dismisses the patient's subjective experience of pain and her request for intervention, thereby failing to uphold the principle of autonomy.
• A professional nursing response involves assessing the patient's pain, providing education on appropriate and safe options (as general anesthesia is not standard for post-delivery pain), and collaborating on a pain management plan.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: While the nurse's action is a breach of the standard of care, 'negligence' is a legal term requiring proof of duty, breach, causation, and harm. 'Abuse' typically implies an intent to harm. The nurse's action is more accurately described as an ethical failure rather than meeting these specific legal or intentional definitions.
• Option B: These words describe the nurse's behavior (ignoring the patient and avoiding the issue) but do not identify the underlying ethical principle that was violated. 'Failure to Autonomy care' is a more precise and professional description of the error.
• Option D: The nurse was not being dishonest; she did not lie to the patient. Her response was dismissive and unprofessional, but it was not a fabrication or a lie.

Related Visual

• Visual 1: Infographic: A chart illustrating the four main principles of nursing ethics: Autonomy (patient's right to choose), Beneficence (acting for the patient's good), Non-maleficence (do no harm), and Justice (fairness).

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Safe nursing care depends on performing Ethical principles in nursing, specifically patient autonomy in the context of pain management in the correct sequence, documenting the action clearly, and monitoring for the expected response.
• Pain is the fifth vital sign. A patient's subjective report of pain is the most reliable indicator and must be taken seriously.
• Nurses have a critical role as patient advocates. This includes advocating for effective pain management, even if it requires challenging a colleague's or a provider's initial assessment.
• Failure to manage postpartum pain can interfere with maternal-infant bonding, breastfeeding, and recovery, and can increase the risk of postpartum depression.

How to Approach the Question

• Identify the core interaction in the scenario: A patient expresses a need (pain relief), and a healthcare professional responds.
• Analyze the nurse's response: The nurse dismisses the patient's concern and makes a unilateral decision ('tolerate the pain').
• Evaluate the options based on established nursing ethics. Ask yourself which option best describes the principle being violated.
• Option A (Negligence) is a legal term with specific criteria. Option B (Ignorance) describes behavior, not a principle. Option D (Dishonesty) implies lying.
• Option C (Failure to Autonomy care) directly names the ethical principle of respecting a patient's right to make decisions about their own body and care. This is the most precise and appropriate description of the nurse's failure.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Ethical principles in nursing, specifically patient autonomy in the context of pain management.
• Stem keywords: normal vaginal delivery, patient ask, tolerate the pain, nurse tell patient
• Lead-in keywords: most appropriately represents

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Qrtc4DtHViZ64qQ7lLB9UC

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