CASPer Exam CASPer: Medical Ethics 4

Question 1

A patient with schizophrenia is brought to the ER after a suicide attempt. They are now calm and demanding to leave. How should the team proceed?

Accepted Answer

Assess decision-making capacity before allowing discharge

Answer

Psychiatric diagnosis alone does not determine capacity; a formal capacity evaluation must assess whether the patient can understand, appreciate, reason, and communicate a decision.

Question 2

A nurse notices that a dying patient's pain is inadequately controlled but the attending physician has not updated orders. The patient is suffering visibly. What should the nurse do?

Accepted Answer

Contact the attending physician or on-call provider immediately to advocate for better pain management

Answer

Nurses have an ethical duty to advocate for patient comfort; inadequate pain management requires immediate escalation to the prescribing provider.

Question 3

A physician has a personal moral objection to abortion. A patient requests information about abortion options. What is the physician's ethical obligation?

Accepted Answer

Provide complete information and refer the patient to providers who can help

Answer

While physicians may conscientiously object to performing procedures, they are ethically obligated to inform patients of all legal options and provide timely referrals.

Question 4

A hospital wants to use de-identified patient data to train an AI diagnostic tool for commercial sale. No individual patients can be identified. Is consent required?

Accepted Answer

Yes, because patients have an ongoing interest in how their data is used commercially

Answer

Even when technically permissible under HIPAA, ethical practice and emerging standards suggest patients should be informed and given opportunity to opt out when their data is used for commercial AI development.

Question 5

A physician learns their patient is HIV-positive and has an ongoing sexual partner who is unaware of the diagnosis. The patient refuses to disclose. What should the physician do?

Accepted Answer

Counsel the patient on their ethical and legal duty to disclose, and consider partner notification per state law if they refuse

Answer

The physician should counsel the patient about disclosure obligations and may have a duty to warn identifiable third parties under state law when serious harm is foreseeable.

CASPer Exam Practice Test

CASPer Exam Practice Test

CASPer Exam CASPer: Medical Ethics 4