AAMC Medical Ethics and Professionalism

Question 1

Which ethical principle obligates physicians to respect a patient's right to make their own healthcare decisions?

Accepted Answer

Autonomy

Answer

Autonomy is the principle that competent patients have the right to make informed decisions about their own medical care without coercion.

Question 2

For informed consent to be legally and ethically valid, it must include all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A guarantee of a successful outcome

Answer

Informed consent requires disclosure, competence, and voluntariness, but no physician can ethically or legally guarantee a successful outcome.

Question 3

The Belmont Report (1979) identified three core principles for ethical research involving human subjects. Which of the following is one of them?

Accepted Answer

Respect for Persons

Answer

The Belmont Report established Respect for Persons, Beneficence, and Justice as the three foundational principles for ethical human subjects research.

Question 4

A physician withholds a terminal diagnosis from a patient because they believe the news will cause psychological harm. This practice is known as:

Accepted Answer

Therapeutic privilege

Answer

Therapeutic privilege refers to withholding information from a patient on the grounds that disclosure would cause harm, though it is generally considered ethically problematic.

Question 5

Which ethical principle requires physicians to 'do no harm' to their patients?

Accepted Answer

Nonmaleficence

Answer

Nonmaleficence, derived from the Latin 'primum non nocere,' obligates physicians to avoid actions that cause unnecessary harm to patients.

AAMC - Association of American Medical Colleges Practice Test

AAMC - Association of American Medical Colleges Practice Test

AAMC Medical Ethics and Professionalism