Professional Standards and Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real ABFM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Standards and Ethics flashcards as text
A patient with terminal cancer asks their family physician not to disclose the diagnosis to family members. The physician should:
Answer: Respect the patient's wishes and maintain confidentiality
Competent adult patients have the right to control their medical information, including deciding who receives their diagnosis.
Which of the following best describes the ethical principle of 'justice' in medical practice?
Answer: Ensuring fair distribution of healthcare resources and equal treatment
Justice in medicine refers to fair and equitable distribution of benefits, risks, and healthcare resources across patient populations.
A physician discovers that a colleague is impaired by alcohol during call coverage. The most appropriate first step is to:
Answer: Immediately remove the colleague from patient care and report to administration
Patient safety takes priority; the impaired physician must be removed from care immediately and reported through appropriate channels.
When obtaining informed consent, which element is most critical to document?
Answer: The patient's demonstrated understanding of risks, benefits, and alternatives
True informed consent requires documentation that the patient understood the material information, not merely that they signed a form.
A 16-year-old presents requesting contraception without parental knowledge. Under most US state laws, the physician should:
Answer: Provide contraception as minors typically have the right to confidential reproductive care
Most states grant minors the right to confidential reproductive health services, including contraception, without parental consent.
A pharmaceutical company offers a physician a paid speaking engagement worth $5,000 to promote their new medication. The most ethical response is to:
Answer: Carefully evaluate whether the arrangement could influence prescribing and disclose it to patients
Physicians must evaluate conflicts of interest critically and disclose financial relationships that could influence clinical judgment.
Which statement best reflects the concept of 'therapeutic privilege' in medical ethics?
Answer: Withholding information from a patient if disclosure would cause serious psychological harm
Therapeutic privilege is the controversial concept of withholding information when the physician believes disclosure would harm the patient, though it is now largely rejected.