Professional Ethics and Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Ethics and Standards flashcards as text
An attending anesthesiologist is simultaneously supervising four CRNAs in separate rooms. A complication arises in one room. Ethically, the attending must:
Answer: Physically respond to the emergency room while ensuring the other cases are safely covered
The attending must personally respond to the emergency while arranging adequate coverage for the other supervised cases.
A patient asks the anesthesiologist not to share any information with family members present in the preoperative area. The anesthesiologist should:
Answer: Respect the patient's privacy and limit disclosure to the patient's instruction
HIPAA and patient autonomy require the anesthesiologist to honor the patient's explicit instruction limiting disclosure to family.
Which behavior best reflects the ABA's expectation of commitment to lifelong learning?
Answer: Regularly completing CME activities and integrating new evidence into practice
Commitment to ongoing education through CME and integration of evolving evidence is a core ABA professionalism standard.
An anesthesiologist is offered a significant gift by a grateful patient's family after a successful surgery. The most appropriate response is to:
Answer: Decline the gift, explaining that their care was a professional obligation
Accepting gifts from patients creates real or perceived conflicts of interest; declining courteously is the professionally appropriate response.
Which scenario represents a boundary violation in the anesthesiologist-patient relationship?
Answer: Initiating a romantic relationship with a former patient shortly after discharge
Romantic relationships with recent patients exploit the inherent power imbalance of the physician-patient relationship and violate professional boundaries.
Under ABA standards, what is the anesthesiologist's duty when they identify an unreported adverse event that occurred during a previous colleague's case?
Answer: Report it through the facility's adverse event reporting system
Adverse event reporting is both an ethical and regulatory obligation that must occur through the institution's formal reporting system.
A patient with decision-making capacity repeatedly requests pain medication at doses the anesthesiologist believes carry unacceptable risk. The ethical approach is to:
Answer: Explain the risks clearly and negotiate a safe plan that respects the patient's goals
Balancing patient autonomy with beneficence requires transparent risk discussion and collaborative negotiation of a safe, goal-aligned plan.