Which topic is identified as lacking significant study in applied ethics and NP?

• A. Outpatient clinical productivity
• B. Applied ethics in non-acute settings
• C. Nursing informatics
• D. Biostatistics

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that there is a gap in research on applied ethics within non-acute nurse practitioner practice, such as outpatient and community settings. These environments bring ethical questions that differ from hospital or critical-care contexts—how to uphold patient autonomy in ongoing primary care, manage confidentiality in small clinics and through telehealth, obtain informed consent for preventive services, address equity and access, and navigate professional boundaries in long-term patient relationships. Historically, ethics work in nursing and NP has focused more on acute, hospital-based, or end-of-life situations, leaving outpatient ethics relatively underexplored. That lack of substantial study in non-acute settings is why this topic is identified as lacking significant research. Other topics like outpatient productivity, nursing informatics, and biostatistics relate more to efficiency, data systems, or methods, rather than the core ethics gaps faced in everyday non-acute NP practice.