BCP Ethical Principles & Patient Confidentiality 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient who is being tested withdraws consent mid-session and asks to stop. What should the psychometrist do?
- Continue testing since the assessment was already scheduled
- Stop the assessment immediately and document the withdrawal of consent (Correct answer)
- Pause briefly and then resume to complete required portions
- Consult the referral source before stopping
Correct answer: Stop the assessment immediately and document the withdrawal of consent
Patients have the right to withdraw consent at any time, and the psychometrist must stop and document the withdrawal immediately.
Question 2: Which scenario represents a breach of confidentiality by a psychometrist?
- Discussing a de-identified case with a supervisor for consultation
- Mentioning a patient's diagnosis to a colleague in a public waiting room (Correct answer)
- Sharing results with another treating clinician after receiving a signed release
- Documenting assessment results in a secured electronic health record
Correct answer: Mentioning a patient's diagnosis to a colleague in a public waiting room
Discussing identifiable patient information in a public area where others may overhear constitutes a breach of confidentiality.
Question 3: The ethical principle of 'non-maleficence' is BEST described as:
- Treating all patients with equal respect and fairness
- Avoiding actions that could harm the patient (Correct answer)
- Obtaining informed consent before all procedures
- Maintaining accurate and thorough documentation
Correct answer: Avoiding actions that could harm the patient
Non-maleficence means 'do no harm' and requires practitioners to avoid actions or omissions that could injure the patient.
Question 4: A psychometrist notices a coworker falsifying test scores in patient records. What is the most ethical response?
- Confront the coworker privately and ask them to correct the records
- Report the misconduct to the appropriate supervisor or ethics committee (Correct answer)
- Document personal observations but take no further action
- Ignore it since altering records is the supervising psychologist's responsibility
Correct answer: Report the misconduct to the appropriate supervisor or ethics committee
Falsifying records is a serious ethical and legal violation that must be reported to the appropriate supervisor or ethics body.
Question 5: When must a psychometrist obtain informed consent prior to testing?
- Only when testing minors under age 12
- Before every assessment, with limited legal exceptions such as court-ordered evaluations (Correct answer)
- Only when the patient has never been tested before
- Only when testing involves experimental measures
Correct answer: Before every assessment, with limited legal exceptions such as court-ordered evaluations
Informed consent is required before all assessments, though certain legally mandated evaluations may have specific exceptions.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes a 'dual relationship' in the context of psychometric ethics?
- Administering two different tests to the same patient
- Having both a professional and personal relationship with a patient simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Sharing patient data between two licensed clinicians
- Using two different scoring methods on the same assessment
Correct answer: Having both a professional and personal relationship with a patient simultaneously
A dual relationship occurs when a practitioner has both a professional role and another significant relationship with a patient, creating a conflict of interest.
Question 7: A psychometrist is testing a patient who discloses ongoing child abuse during the session. Under mandatory reporting laws, what is required?
- Maintain confidentiality since the disclosure occurred during an assessment
- Report the suspected abuse to child protective services as required by law (Correct answer)
- Document the disclosure and wait for the supervising psychologist to decide
- Encourage the patient to report the abuse themselves
Correct answer: Report the suspected abuse to child protective services as required by law
Mandatory reporting laws require that suspected child abuse be reported to the appropriate authorities, overriding general confidentiality obligations.
BCP Ethical Principles & Patient Confidentiality 3
A patient who is being tested withdraws consent mid-session and asks to stop.
What should the psychometrist do?