ABA Professional Standards & Ethics 3

Question 1

An anesthesiologist moonlighting at a surgery center fails to disclose a financial ownership interest in that center to referred patients. This is primarily a violation of:

Accepted Answer

Informed consent and conflict of interest disclosure obligations

Answer

Financial conflicts of interest must be disclosed to patients as they can influence clinical recommendations and undermine informed decision-making.

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios MOST clearly represents a breach of patient confidentiality under HIPAA and professional ethics?

Accepted Answer

Mentioning a celebrity patient's surgery to a non-treating colleague

Answer

Disclosing a patient's protected health information to someone not involved in their care—regardless of celebrity status—is an unauthorized disclosure violating confidentiality.

Question 3

The concept of 'therapeutic privilege'—withholding information from a patient to prevent harm from the disclosure—is:

Accepted Answer

Rarely justified and ethically controversial in contemporary practice

Answer

Modern medical ethics heavily disfavors therapeutic privilege because it undermines patient autonomy; only exceedingly rare circumstances could justify withholding material information.

Question 4

An attending anesthesiologist signs off on a case personally performed entirely by a CRNA without meaningful supervision. Which ethical principle is PRIMARILY compromised?

Accepted Answer

Veracity

Answer

Signing attestations for supervision that did not occur is a form of fraud and false documentation, directly violating the principle of veracity (truthfulness).

Question 5

When an anesthesiologist has a sincere conscientious objection to performing an abortion procedure's anesthesia, the ethically required action is:

Accepted Answer

Disclose the objection in advance and arrange for a willing colleague to cover

Answer

Conscientious objection is recognized but requires timely disclosure and patient referral to ensure uninterrupted access to care.

(ABA) ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) Board Certification Practice Test

(ABA) ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) Board Certification Practice Test

ABA Professional Standards & Ethics 3