Nurses with varying levels of experience possess leadership skills.
A graduate nurse walks out of the nurse manager's office after a meeting.
The graduate nurse reflects on the positive and negative feedback that she received from the manager regarding her three months working on the unit.
What nursing leadership skill is best illustrated by the graduate nurse in this scenario?

Choice A rationale

While cultural sensitivity is important, respecting the client's desire to have her uncle make decisions would undermine her legal and ethical right to self-determination, which is a fundamental principle in healthcare. This right ensures individuals make their own healthcare decisions free from coercion.

Choice B rationale

Revisiting the decision without the uncle present might pressure the client and still not directly address her right to make her own informed choices. It doesn't empower the client to exercise her autonomy.

Choice C rationale

Holding a family meeting and encouraging the client to speak on her own behalf is a supportive approach, but it doesn't guarantee the client will feel empowered to make her own decision, especially if cultural norms strongly favor the uncle's authority.

Choice D rationale

Educating the client about her right to autonomy directly addresses the ethical principle of self-determination. By understanding her rights, the client is empowered to make her own informed decisions about her treatment, regardless of cultural influences or family dynamics.

Choice A rationale

Deception involves intentionally misleading someone. Applying physical restraints for the client's safety, while ethically complex, is a transparent intervention intended to prevent harm, not to deceive the client. The intent is protective, even if the client resists.

Choice B rationale

Advocacy involves supporting the client's best interests and rights. While the nurse's concern for the client's safety is a form of advocacy, the act of physical restraint itself can be seen as limiting the client's autonomy, potentially conflicting with a purely advocacy-based approach.

Choice C rationale

Harm, in an ethical context, refers to physical or psychological injury or damage. While the intention of restraints is to prevent falls and physical harm, the application of restraints can itself cause physical injury (e.g., skin breakdown, nerve damage) or psychological distress (e.g., fear, humiliation, loss of control). Therefore, it is a measure that carries the potential for harm.

Choice D rationale

Paternalism involves making decisions for a client that the healthcare professional believes are in the client's best interest, even against the client's wishes. Applying restraints to prevent the client from harming themselves, despite their resistance, aligns with the concept of paternalism, prioritizing safety over autonomy in this specific situation.