AOC Professional Ethics and Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An orthoptist working in a pediatric setting suspects a child is experiencing abuse at home. The orthoptist's legal and ethical duty is to:
- Discuss concerns only with the supervising ophthalmologist
- Document suspicions but defer to the parent's explanation
- Report the suspicion to child protective services as required by mandatory reporting law (Correct answer)
- Refer the family to a social worker without filing a report
Correct answer: Report the suspicion to child protective services as required by mandatory reporting law
All healthcare providers, including orthoptists, are mandatory reporters who must report suspected child abuse to the designated authority regardless of certainty.
Question 2: The AOC Code of Ethics requires orthoptists to maintain competence by:
- Passing the certification exam once at initial credentialing
- Engaging in ongoing continuing education and professional development (Correct answer)
- Reviewing published guidelines only when new technology is adopted
- Completing competency assessments every ten years
Correct answer: Engaging in ongoing continuing education and professional development
Lifelong learning through continuing education is a core ethical obligation that ensures orthoptists provide care consistent with current standards.
Question 3: A patient declines a recommended vision therapy regimen after being fully informed of risks and benefits. The orthoptist should:
- Document the refusal and respect the patient's decision (Correct answer)
- Seek a court order to compel treatment
- Involve the patient's family to override the decision
- Discharge the patient from care immediately
Correct answer: Document the refusal and respect the patient's decision
A competent, informed patient has the right to refuse treatment; the orthoptist documents the refusal and continues to offer support.
Question 4: Which statement best describes 'justice' as an ethical principle in orthoptic care?
- Providing the maximum possible intervention for every patient
- Distributing care fairly and without discrimination based on ability to pay or background (Correct answer)
- Prioritizing patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment
- Ensuring legal compliance in all billing practices
Correct answer: Distributing care fairly and without discrimination based on ability to pay or background
Justice requires equitable distribution of resources and fair treatment of all patients regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or other protected characteristics.
Question 5: An orthoptist is asked to co-author a research paper but contributed minimally to the work. Accepting authorship credit in this case violates which ethical principle?
- Autonomy
- Beneficence
- Honesty and integrity in scholarship (Correct answer)
- Nonmaleficence
Correct answer: Honesty and integrity in scholarship
Ghost or honorary authorship misrepresents contributions to the scientific record and constitutes a breach of research integrity.
Question 6: When a patient's guardian and the patient (a mature minor) disagree about the treatment plan, the orthoptist should:
- Follow the guardian's wishes exclusively as legal decision-maker
- Follow only the minor's wishes regardless of age
- Consult with the supervising physician and, where appropriate, seek ethics committee input (Correct answer)
- Suspend treatment until the disagreement is resolved by a court
Correct answer: Consult with the supervising physician and, where appropriate, seek ethics committee input
Disagreements involving minors require careful consideration of maturity, applicable law, and institutional ethics resources to balance autonomy and protection.
Question 7: Under the ethical standard of nonmaleficence, an orthoptist should avoid:
- Documenting adverse outcomes in the patient record
- Applying treatments with known risks that are disproportionate to expected benefits (Correct answer)
- Discussing treatment limitations with the patient
- Referring patients to other specialists
Correct answer: Applying treatments with known risks that are disproportionate to expected benefits
Nonmaleficence demands that practitioners refrain from imposing harms or risks that outweigh the anticipated therapeutic benefits.
AOC Professional Ethics and Standards 3
An orthoptist working in a pediatric setting suspects a child is experiencing abuse at home.
The orthoptist's legal and ethical duty is to: