AK Ethics, Safety & Professional Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client presents with a suspected spinal fracture after a fall. What is the AK practitioner's MOST appropriate immediate action?
- Perform gentle muscle testing to assess spinal integrity
- Refer the client to emergency medical services immediately (Correct answer)
- Apply low-force chiropractic adjustments to stabilize the spine
- Conduct a full Applied Kinesiology assessment before referral
Correct answer: Refer the client to emergency medical services immediately
Suspected fractures are a medical emergency requiring immediate referral to emergency services rather than AK assessment.
Question 2: Which documentation practice best protects an AK practitioner from liability in the event of a patient complaint?
- Keeping only mental notes to protect patient privacy
- Recording only positive treatment outcomes in the file
- Documenting informed consent, findings, and treatment plans contemporaneously (Correct answer)
- Storing records solely on personal devices without backup
Correct answer: Documenting informed consent, findings, and treatment plans contemporaneously
Contemporaneous documentation of consent, clinical findings, and treatment plans is the gold standard for liability protection.
Question 3: An AK practitioner discovers a patient has been seeing another provider for the same complaint without disclosing this. What should the practitioner do?
- Dismiss the patient for dishonesty
- Discuss the importance of coordinated care and update the treatment plan accordingly (Correct answer)
- Continue treatment without acknowledging the dual care situation
- Immediately contact the other provider without patient consent
Correct answer: Discuss the importance of coordinated care and update the treatment plan accordingly
Open discussion about concurrent care supports coordinated, safe treatment and respects the patient's autonomy.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the principle of 'do no harm' (non-maleficence) in AK practice?
- Avoiding any treatment that might cause temporary discomfort
- Selecting interventions whose expected benefits outweigh potential risks (Correct answer)
- Refusing to treat patients with complex medical histories
- Using only hands-on techniques without nutritional recommendations
Correct answer: Selecting interventions whose expected benefits outweigh potential risks
Non-maleficence requires practitioners to weigh expected benefits against potential risks when selecting interventions.
Question 5: A patient asks an AK practitioner to guarantee that treatment will cure their chronic fatigue. The ethical response is to:
- Provide a written guarantee to secure the patient's commitment to care
- Explain that outcomes cannot be guaranteed and discuss realistic expectations (Correct answer)
- Avoid discussing prognosis to prevent patient anxiety
- Refer the patient out rather than risk disappointment
Correct answer: Explain that outcomes cannot be guaranteed and discuss realistic expectations
Ethical practice requires honest communication about realistic treatment expectations without making guarantees.
Question 6: When is it ethically permissible for an AK practitioner to share a patient's health information with a third party without explicit consent?
- When a colleague asks out of professional curiosity
- When required by law, such as mandatory reporting of child abuse (Correct answer)
- When the patient has not specifically prohibited sharing
- When the practitioner believes it would benefit the patient
Correct answer: When required by law, such as mandatory reporting of child abuse
Legal obligations such as mandatory abuse reporting are recognized exceptions to patient confidentiality.
Question 7: A practitioner notices a patient is showing signs of an adverse reaction to a nutritional supplement they prescribed. What is the FIRST step?
- Continue the supplement and monitor at the next appointment
- Discontinue the supplement and document the adverse reaction (Correct answer)
- Increase the dosage to see if the reaction resolves
- Reassure the patient that reactions are normal and expected
Correct answer: Discontinue the supplement and document the adverse reaction
Patient safety requires stopping the suspect supplement immediately and documenting the adverse event.
AK Ethics, Safety & Professional Practice 2
A client presents with a suspected spinal fracture after a fall.
What is the AK practitioner's MOST appropriate immediate action?