BC ADM Professional Ethics & Conduct 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BC-ADM discovers that a colleague is routinely documenting blood glucose values without actually measuring them. What is the most appropriate initial action?
- Ignore it to avoid workplace conflict
- Confront the colleague privately and document the conversation (Correct answer)
- Immediately report to the state licensing board without speaking to the colleague
- Notify the patient's family directly
Correct answer: Confront the colleague privately and document the conversation
Addressing the concern directly with the colleague first is appropriate before escalating, while documenting the conversation creates a record.
Question 2: Which scenario best illustrates a conflict of interest for a BC-ADM working in diabetes education?
- Recommending a meter brand based on patient insurance coverage
- Accepting a paid speaker role from a glucose meter manufacturer while recommending that brand to patients (Correct answer)
- Attending a pharmaceutical-sponsored continuing education event
- Using evidence-based guidelines developed with industry funding
Correct answer: Accepting a paid speaker role from a glucose meter manufacturer while recommending that brand to patients
Accepting financial compensation from a manufacturer while recommending their product to patients creates a direct conflict of interest.
Question 3: A patient with type 2 diabetes tells their BC-ADM that they are selling their prescribed insulin to afford food. What ethical principles are most directly in tension?
- Justice and nonmaleficence
- Beneficence and autonomy
- Fidelity and veracity
- Beneficence and nonmaleficence (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Beneficence and nonmaleficence
The clinician's duty to promote the patient's health (beneficence) conflicts with respecting the patient's desperate decision to divert medication (nonmaleficence if unsupported).
Question 4: A BC-ADM is asked to co-sign a DSMES attendance record for a patient who was absent. The requesting physician implies it will help with reimbursement. What should the BC-ADM do?
- Co-sign because the physician has authority over the care team
- Refuse and explain that falsifying records constitutes fraud (Correct answer)
- Co-sign but note the absence in a separate internal file
- Contact the insurer directly before deciding
Correct answer: Refuse and explain that falsifying records constitutes fraud
Falsifying attendance records to obtain reimbursement is healthcare fraud and violates both legal and ethical standards.
Question 5: Which element is essential for a BC-ADM to obtain before sharing identifiable patient diabetes data with a research team?
- Verbal assent documented in the chart
- Written informed consent from the patient (Correct answer)
- Institutional review board approval only
- Supervisor permission
Correct answer: Written informed consent from the patient
Written informed consent is required before sharing identifiable patient information for research purposes under HIPAA and research ethics principles.
Question 6: A BC-ADM learns that a patient has been purchasing unprescribed insulin analogs online from another country. What is the ethically appropriate response?
- Report the patient to law enforcement immediately
- Refuse to continue providing care unless the patient stops
- Educate the patient on safety risks and explore barriers to accessing prescribed insulin (Correct answer)
- Document the behavior without addressing it
Correct answer: Educate the patient on safety risks and explore barriers to accessing prescribed insulin
A patient-centered, nonjudgmental approach that addresses safety concerns and underlying access barriers reflects beneficence and respect for autonomy.
Question 7: When a BC-ADM practices outside their defined scope of competence in advanced diabetes management, which professional obligation is most directly violated?
- Veracity
- Competence (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
- Justice
Correct answer: Competence
Practicing beyond one's competence violates the professional obligation to maintain and apply only skills and knowledge within one's verified expertise.
BC ADM Professional Ethics & Conduct 3
A BC-ADM discovers that a colleague is routinely documenting blood glucose values without actually measuring them.
What is the most appropriate initial action?