Medical Ethics & Patient Rights Flashcards
7 cards from real ADM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medical Ethics & Patient Rights flashcards as text
A patient with opioid use disorder refuses naltrexone because they fear it will cause withdrawal. The physician believes naltrexone is the best option. What is the most ethical course of action?
Answer: Respect the refusal, explore the patient's concerns, and discuss alternative treatments
Respecting patient autonomy requires honoring informed refusals and engaging in shared decision-making about alternatives.
A physician prescribes buprenorphine and receives a financial incentive from a pharmaceutical company for each prescription written. This arrangement most directly violates which ethical principle?
Answer: Conflict of interest and fidelity to the patient
Financial incentives tied to prescribing create conflicts of interest that undermine the physician's duty to act solely in the patient's best interest.
Under 42 CFR Part 2, which scenario represents a permissible disclosure of a patient's substance use disorder treatment records?
Answer: Releasing records with the patient's written consent specifying the recipient and purpose
42 CFR Part 2 requires specific written patient consent before records from federally assisted SUD programs can be disclosed.
A pregnant patient with alcohol use disorder declines inpatient detoxification. What is the physician's ethical obligation?
Answer: Provide full information on fetal risks, respect autonomy, and offer outpatient alternatives with close follow-up
The physician must respect maternal autonomy while ensuring the patient has complete information about risks and maximizing engagement through available alternatives.
A physician is treating a patient in a methadone maintenance program who reports selling some of their take-home doses. What is the most appropriate initial action?
Answer: Discuss the behavior with the patient, reassess take-home eligibility, and adjust the treatment plan
Addressing medication diversion requires reassessing the patient's safety and take-home criteria while preserving engagement in treatment.
Which ethical principle is most relevant when a physician advocates for insurance coverage of medication-assisted treatment for a patient who was denied coverage?
Answer: Justice
Justice requires equitable access to effective treatments, making advocacy for fair coverage an ethical duty.
A patient in recovery from methamphetamine use disorder requests that their addiction history not be shared with a new cardiologist. The cardiologist is treating a condition potentially exacerbated by stimulant use. What should the addiction medicine physician do?
Answer: Discuss with the patient how withholding this information may affect their cardiac care, and encourage disclosure
The physician should educate the patient on clinical risks of non-disclosure while respecting their right to control information sharing.