ABCS Professional Standards & Ethics 3

Question 1

A patient with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) requests rhinoplasty. What is the most appropriate ethical and clinical response?

Accepted Answer

Defer surgery and refer for psychiatric evaluation and treatment

Answer

BDD is a contraindication for cosmetic surgery; performing procedures on patients with active BDD typically worsens outcomes and violates the standard of beneficence.

Question 2

Under ABCS standards, what is the minimum requirement for a valid informed consent process?

Accepted Answer

Written documentation that includes risks, benefits, alternatives, and patient understanding

Answer

Valid informed consent requires documentation of a thorough discussion including risks, benefits, realistic outcomes, and alternatives that demonstrates patient comprehension.

Question 3

Which scenario best represents an appropriate boundary in the patient-physician relationship within cosmetic surgery?

Accepted Answer

Accepting small gifts from grateful patients per office policy

Answer

Many professional codes permit accepting small, infrequent gifts that do not create undue obligation, while romantic involvement and review-for-treatment arrangements are clear violations.

Question 4

A surgeon witnesses a colleague performing cosmetic procedures while visibly impaired. What is the ethical obligation?

Accepted Answer

Report the impairment through appropriate hospital or board channels to protect patient safety

Answer

Physicians have an ethical and in many states legal duty to report impaired colleagues to protect patient safety, even if it is professionally uncomfortable.

Question 5

What does the principle of 'justice' require specifically in a cosmetic surgery practice?

Accepted Answer

Distributing the benefits and burdens of care fairly and without discrimination

Answer

Justice in medical ethics requires fair, equitable treatment of all patients without discrimination based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, or other protected characteristics.

(ABCS) American Board of Cosmetic Surgery Certification Practice Test

(ABCS) American Board of Cosmetic Surgery Certification Practice Test

ABCS Professional Standards & Ethics 3