AP Ethics & Professional Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient discloses they are using herbal supplements purchased online that may interact with their current medications. What is the acupuncture physician's primary ethical obligation?
- Document the supplements and inform the prescribing physician with patient consent (Correct answer)
- Advise the patient to stop all supplements immediately
- Ignore the disclosure as it falls outside the acupuncture scope
- Report the patient to the state medical board
Correct answer: Document the supplements and inform the prescribing physician with patient consent
The acupuncturist must document potential interactions and coordinate care with the prescribing provider, requiring informed patient consent to share information.
Question 2: Which principle of biomedical ethics requires an acupuncture physician to provide truthful information about the expected outcomes of treatment?
- Justice
- Beneficence
- Veracity (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Veracity
Veracity is the ethical duty to tell the truth, including honest disclosure of treatment prognosis and limitations.
Question 3: An acupuncture physician posts before-and-after photos of a patient on social media without written authorization. This violates:
- State acupuncture scope-of-practice laws
- HIPAA Privacy Rule and professional ethics standards (Correct answer)
- Medicare billing regulations
- Malpractice insurance policy terms only
Correct answer: HIPAA Privacy Rule and professional ethics standards
Sharing identifiable patient images without written authorization violates HIPAA's Privacy Rule and breaches the ethical duty of confidentiality.
Question 4: When must an acupuncture physician obtain written informed consent rather than verbal consent?
- Only when performing surgical procedures
- Before any treatment that carries significant risk, or as required by state law and facility policy (Correct answer)
- Only for patients who are minors
- Verbal consent is always sufficient in acupuncture practice
Correct answer: Before any treatment that carries significant risk, or as required by state law and facility policy
Written informed consent is required for higher-risk procedures and whenever state law or facility policy mandates documentation.
Question 5: A licensed acupuncture physician learns that a colleague is practicing under the influence of alcohol. The most appropriate first step is to:
- Confront the colleague publicly in front of patients
- Report directly to the state licensing board without delay
- Address the concern with the colleague privately and, if unresolved, report to the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Take no action because it is not within professional scope
Correct answer: Address the concern with the colleague privately and, if unresolved, report to the appropriate authority
Professional ethics require addressing impairment concerns first through collegial conversation and escalating to licensing authorities if patient safety remains at risk.
Question 6: A patient who has completed a course of acupuncture treatment asks the physician to be friends on social media. The most ethically appropriate response is to:
- Accept immediately since treatment has ended
- Decline and explain that maintaining professional boundaries protects both parties (Correct answer)
- Block the patient to avoid any future contact
- Accept only if the patient promises not to ask for free advice
Correct answer: Decline and explain that maintaining professional boundaries protects both parties
Post-treatment social media connections can blur professional boundaries and potentially compromise the therapeutic relationship if care resumes.
Question 7: Under the ethical principle of justice, an acupuncture physician should:
- Provide the same number of needles to every patient regardless of condition
- Distribute health resources and treatment fairly without discrimination (Correct answer)
- Prioritize patients who pay cash over those using insurance
- Always give free care to all patients who cannot afford treatment
Correct answer: Distribute health resources and treatment fairly without discrimination
Justice requires fair and equitable treatment of all patients without discrimination based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, or other protected characteristics.
AP Ethics & Professional Standards 2
A patient discloses they are using herbal supplements purchased online that may interact with their current medications.
What is the acupuncture physician's primary ethical obligation?