CAA Professional Ethics & Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CAA notices an anesthesiologist supervisor is impaired by alcohol before a scheduled procedure. The CAA's ethical duty is to:
- Proceed with the case and monitor the supervisor closely
- Immediately remove the supervisor from patient care and report to administration (Correct answer)
- Document concerns only after the procedure is completed
- Consult other colleagues informally but take no action
Correct answer: Immediately remove the supervisor from patient care and report to administration
Patient safety supersedes collegial loyalty; an impaired provider must be removed from patient care immediately and the situation reported through appropriate channels.
Question 2: The NCCAA requires CAAs to complete continuing medical education (CME) primarily to:
- Meet hospital billing requirements
- Maintain competency and ensure ongoing patient safety (Correct answer)
- Qualify for higher reimbursement rates
- Satisfy malpractice insurance requirements only
Correct answer: Maintain competency and ensure ongoing patient safety
CME requirements exist to ensure that CAAs maintain current knowledge and competency, which directly supports safe patient care.
Question 3: Which scenario best illustrates a conflict of interest that a CAA must disclose?
- Having personal experience with the same surgery as the patient
- Owning stock in a medical device company whose products are used in a procedure (Correct answer)
- Being board-certified in a specialty relevant to the case
- Having treated the patient previously in another setting
Correct answer: Owning stock in a medical device company whose products are used in a procedure
Financial interests in products or companies involved in a patient's care create conflicts of interest that must be disclosed to ensure unbiased treatment decisions.
Question 4: Veracity as an ethical principle requires the CAA to:
- Tell patients only information that will reassure them
- Be truthful with patients even when the information is difficult (Correct answer)
- Withhold information that the supervising physician has not approved
- Share patient information with family members upon request
Correct answer: Be truthful with patients even when the information is difficult
Veracity obligates healthcare providers to be truthful with patients, including about risks, adverse events, and prognoses, even when the truth is uncomfortable.
Question 5: A CAA is asked to perform a procedure they have not been trained to perform. The ethical and professional response is to:
- Attempt the procedure to avoid delaying patient care
- Decline and communicate their limitation to the supervising physician (Correct answer)
- Perform the procedure if a qualified colleague supervises informally
- Research the technique online immediately before proceeding
Correct answer: Decline and communicate their limitation to the supervising physician
Practicing beyond one's competency violates professional standards; the CAA must decline and ensure a qualified practitioner performs the procedure.
Question 6: In the context of anesthesia care, 'do not resuscitate' (DNR) orders require which approach from the CAA?
- Automatically suspend all DNR orders in the OR
- Review and clarify the DNR order with the patient/surrogate prior to anesthesia (Correct answer)
- Ignore DNR orders as they apply only to floor nurses
- Follow DNR orders without discussion since consent has already been given
Correct answer: Review and clarify the DNR order with the patient/surrogate prior to anesthesia
Perioperative DNR orders must be reviewed and discussed with the patient or surrogate before surgery, as many anesthetic interventions (e.g., intubation) may conflict with the order.
Question 7: When a CAA is approached by a patient's employer asking for details about the patient's anesthetic course, the appropriate response is to:
- Provide a general summary since the employer pays for the insurance
- Decline to share any information without written patient authorization (Correct answer)
- Share non-identifying clinical details only
- Refer the employer to the hospital billing department
Correct answer: Decline to share any information without written patient authorization
HIPAA and patient confidentiality principles prohibit disclosing protected health information to any third party without the patient's explicit written authorization.
CAA Professional Ethics & Standards 3
A CAA notices an anesthesiologist supervisor is impaired by alcohol before a scheduled procedure.
The CAA's ethical duty is to: