Professionalism, Ethics & Patient Safety 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 Professionalism, Ethics & Patient Safety flashcards as text
A patient scheduled for elective surgery reveals during the preoperative assessment that they are undocumented and fears deportation if their identity is recorded. What is the most appropriate response?
Answer: Provide care based on clinical need while maintaining confidentiality
Anesthesiologists must provide care based on clinical need; patient confidentiality obligations do not exclude undocumented individuals.
During a busy OR day, a circulating nurse verbally alerts you that the syringe labeled 'succinylcholine' appears to have been drawn up in the wrong concentration. What is the highest-priority action?
Answer: Immediately verify the syringe contents before proceeding
Medication verification at the point of use is a critical safety step; all concerns about drug identity must be resolved before administration.
Which ASA Standard most directly mandates the continual monitoring of oxygenation, ventilation, circulation, and temperature during all anesthetics?
Answer: Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring
The ASA Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring define the mandatory intraoperative surveillance parameters for every anesthetic.
A colleague is repeatedly found sleeping during cases and leaves early without handoffs. Colleagues have complained, but no formal report has been made. As the department chief, what is your professional obligation?
Answer: Initiate a formal review process to protect patients and the colleague
Physician health and impairment programs require formal structured review to protect patients while affording due process to the provider.
A Jehovah's Witness adult patient with full decision-making capacity refuses all blood products preoperatively. Intraoperatively, the patient hemorrhages and approaches exsanguination. What should the anesthesiologist do?
Answer: Continue non-blood strategies and respect the documented refusal
A competent adult's advance refusal of blood products is legally and ethically binding even in life-threatening circumstances.
Which of the following best describes the ethical principle of 'justice' in the context of anesthesia care?
Answer: Fair distribution of healthcare resources and equitable treatment of all patients
Justice refers to the equitable allocation of healthcare resources and non-discriminatory treatment across patient populations.
After a wrong-site nerve block is discovered postoperatively, which action is MOST important for maintaining a culture of safety?
Answer: Disclose the error to the patient and conduct a root-cause analysis
Transparent disclosure to the patient and systematic root-cause analysis are essential pillars of a just and learning safety culture.