ABCS Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A cosmetic surgeon is approached by a medical device company offering significant financial incentives to exclusively use their implants. What is the most ethically appropriate response?
- Accept if the devices are FDA-approved
- Decline and report the offer to the hospital ethics committee (Correct answer)
- Accept only if patients are not informed
- Accept and disclose only if the patient asks
Correct answer: Decline and report the offer to the hospital ethics committee
Accepting undisclosed financial incentives from device manufacturers creates a conflict of interest that compromises patient care and violates professional ethics standards.
Question 2: Under the ABCS Code of Ethics, which practice is considered a violation regarding patient referrals?
- Referring patients to other specialists when appropriate
- Accepting fee-splitting arrangements for patient referrals (Correct answer)
- Documenting the reason for each referral
- Informing patients of their referral options
Correct answer: Accepting fee-splitting arrangements for patient referrals
Fee-splitting for patient referrals is prohibited under ABCS ethics standards as it places financial incentives above patient welfare.
Question 3: A patient requests a procedure that the surgeon believes is medically unnecessary but not harmful. What is the ethically correct course of action?
- Perform the procedure immediately since the patient consented
- Refuse and refer the patient to a psychiatrist without discussion
- Discuss concerns with the patient, ensure psychological screening if indicated, and respect autonomous decision-making (Correct answer)
- Decline and report the patient to the medical board
Correct answer: Discuss concerns with the patient, ensure psychological screening if indicated, and respect autonomous decision-making
Surgeons must balance patient autonomy with professional judgment, including appropriate psychological evaluation before proceeding with elective cosmetic surgery.
Question 4: Which of the following best defines 'non-maleficence' in the context of cosmetic surgery ethics?
- Ensuring the patient benefits financially from the procedure
- Avoiding actions that cause unnecessary harm to the patient (Correct answer)
- Performing only procedures covered by insurance
- Maintaining equal access to cosmetic procedures for all patients
Correct answer: Avoiding actions that cause unnecessary harm to the patient
Non-maleficence is the ethical obligation to avoid causing unnecessary harm, one of the four core principles of biomedical ethics.
Question 5: A cosmetic surgeon posts before-and-after patient photos on social media without written authorization. This violates which ethical and legal standard?
- Scope of practice regulations
- Patient privacy and HIPAA confidentiality requirements (Correct answer)
- Continuing medical education requirements
- Anti-kickback statutes
Correct answer: Patient privacy and HIPAA confidentiality requirements
Posting identifiable patient images without written consent violates HIPAA privacy rules and the ethical duty to protect patient confidentiality.
Question 6: When a cosmetic surgeon realizes during a procedure that an unexpected finding warrants a significant change in surgical plan, what is the ethical obligation?
- Proceed with the original plan to avoid confusion
- Halt the procedure, reverse anesthesia, and obtain new consent before continuing
- Complete only the original procedure and discuss changes postoperatively
- Proceed with the extended procedure if it is clearly in the patient's best interest and document thoroughly (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Proceed with the extended procedure if it is clearly in the patient's best interest and document thoroughly
In emergent intraoperative situations where halting is not feasible, proceeding in the patient's best interest with thorough documentation is ethically justified, though post-op disclosure is mandatory.
Question 7: An ABCS-certified surgeon is asked to provide expert testimony in a malpractice case against a colleague. What ethical standard governs this role?
- Surgeons should always support their colleagues to protect the profession
- Expert testimony must be truthful, objective, and based on accepted standards of care (Correct answer)
- Surgeons should decline all expert witness roles to avoid conflicts
- Testimony should favor the defendant to reduce malpractice insurance costs
Correct answer: Expert testimony must be truthful, objective, and based on accepted standards of care
Expert witnesses are ethically obligated to provide honest, evidence-based testimony regardless of their professional relationship with the parties involved.
ABCS Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A cosmetic surgeon is approached by a medical device company offering significant financial incentives to exclusively use their implants.
What is the most ethically appropriate response?