ABPS Professionalism & Ethical Medical Practice 3

Question 1

A physician is approached by media regarding a celebrity patient's condition. The appropriate response is to:

Accepted Answer

Decline to comment and refer media to the hospital's public relations office

Answer

Physician confidentiality extends to all patients regardless of celebrity status; all media inquiries should be redirected to authorized hospital representatives.

Question 2

The principle of 'double effect' in medical ethics most commonly applies to:

Accepted Answer

Administering pain medication that may hasten death as a foreseen but unintended consequence

Answer

The doctrine of double effect permits actions with both good and bad effects when the harmful effect is unintended and the benefit outweighs the harm.

Question 3

A physician realizes they made a medical error that caused patient harm. Ethically, the physician must:

Accepted Answer

Disclose the error honestly to the patient and apologize

Answer

Ethical and professional standards require physicians to disclose errors to patients, including an honest explanation and apology.

Question 4

Which statement best defines informed refusal?

Accepted Answer

A patient's right to refuse treatment after being fully informed of risks and alternatives

Answer

Informed refusal is the corollary to informed consent, where a competent patient declines treatment after being fully informed of the consequences.

Question 5

A surrogate decision-maker disagrees with the medical team about withdrawing life support. The most appropriate next step is:

Accepted Answer

Involve an ethics committee to mediate the conflict

Answer

Ethics committee consultation is the appropriate mechanism for resolving conflicts between surrogates and medical teams regarding end-of-life decisions.

(ABPS) American Board of Physician Specialties Certification Practice Test

(ABPS) American Board of Physician Specialties Certification Practice Test

ABPS Professionalism & Ethical Medical Practice 3