CASPer Exam CASPer: Medical Ethics 3

Question 1

A physician's patient is also their personal friend. The friend asks for a prescription for anxiety medication without a formal evaluation. What is the ethical issue?

Accepted Answer

Dual relationships compromise objectivity and proper standard of care

Answer

Treating friends creates dual relationships that impair clinical objectivity and may lead to substandard care by bypassing proper evaluation.

Question 2

During a routine exam, a patient discloses they are a truck driver and have been experiencing blackout spells they haven't reported to their employer. What should the physician do?

Accepted Answer

Counsel the patient on the risk to public safety, document the discussion, and consider reporting per state law

Answer

The duty to protect public safety may override confidentiality; the physician should counsel the patient and follow state-mandated reporting requirements for impaired drivers.

Question 3

A competent elderly patient refuses a blood transfusion on religious grounds, even though refusal will likely result in death. The patient fully understands the consequences. What is the ethical response?

Accepted Answer

Respect the patient's refusal and provide alternative supportive care

Answer

A competent adult's informed refusal of treatment, even life-saving treatment, must be respected regardless of the physician's personal or religious views.

Question 4

A medical student witnesses their supervising resident falsify a lab result in a patient's chart. The student is worried about repercussions. What should the student do?

Accepted Answer

Report the incident to the program director or appropriate authority

Answer

Falsifying medical records is a serious ethical and legal violation; all healthcare team members, including students, have a duty to report it through proper channels.

Question 5

A researcher wants to enroll cognitively impaired adults in a clinical trial that offers no direct benefit to participants. What additional protection is most critical?

Accepted Answer

Surrogate consent combined with assent from participants where possible

Answer

Vulnerable populations require surrogate decision-maker consent plus participant assent when feasible, as they cannot provide fully informed independent consent.

CASPer Exam Practice Test

CASPer Exam Practice Test

CASPer Exam CASPer: Medical Ethics 3