ABEM Patient Safety & Ethical Practices 4

Question 1

A patient with HIV is referred for EMG. The most appropriate safety approach is to:

Accepted Answer

Apply standard precautions consistently, as with any patient

Answer

Standard precautions are designed to protect against bloodborne pathogens for all patients regardless of known infection status.

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios represents an inappropriate billing practice in electrodiagnostic medicine?

Accepted Answer

Billing for nerve conduction studies not performed during the session

Answer

Billing for services not rendered constitutes fraud and violates federal and state laws as well as medical ethics.

Question 3

Documentation in an electrodiagnostic report should include which of the following to meet ethical and legal standards?

Accepted Answer

All muscles and nerves tested, waveform measurements, and clinical interpretation

Answer

Complete documentation of all tested muscles and nerves, measurements, and interpretation is required for clinical, legal, and billing accountability.

Question 4

A patient expresses significant anxiety about needle EMG and asks if there is an alternative. The most appropriate response is to:

Accepted Answer

Explain what information needle EMG provides and discuss whether the clinical question can be answered without it

Answer

Respecting patient autonomy requires honest discussion of what information needle EMG provides and whether an alternative approach can meet the diagnostic need.

Question 5

In electrodiagnostic practice, the duty to maintain patient confidentiality may be ethically overridden when:

Accepted Answer

The patient poses an imminent credible threat of serious harm to an identifiable third party

Answer

Confidentiality can be breached to protect identifiable third parties from imminent serious harm, consistent with the Tarasoff principle and public safety obligations.

(ABEM) American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine Practice Test

(ABEM) American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine Practice Test

ABEM Patient Safety & Ethical Practices 4