Professional Ethics & Communication Flashcards

A CBS is supporting a mother who is HIV-positive in a high-income country setting. The mother wants to breastfeed. The MOST ethically appropriate response is to:

Answer: Provide accurate information about current guidelines and risks, and facilitate informed decision-making in collaboration with her medical team

A CBS must provide accurate, evidence-based information about risks and current guidelines while supporting informed decision-making in collaboration with the mother's medical care team.

The principle of 'justice' in CBS ethics primarily refers to:

Answer: Providing fair, equitable access to breastfeeding support regardless of socioeconomic status or background

Justice in healthcare ethics means providing fair, unbiased, and equitable services to all clients regardless of their background or circumstances.

A client shares information during a session that suggests her partner may be physically abusive. A CBS's FIRST obligation is to:

Answer: Ensure the client's immediate safety, provide information about resources, and follow mandatory reporting laws if applicable

Safety is the top priority; the CBS must address immediate safety concerns, provide resources, and comply with any applicable mandatory reporting obligations.

A CBS who works in a hospital setting is pressured by administrators to reduce the time spent with each breastfeeding mother to meet productivity targets. This situation BEST represents a conflict between:

Answer: Professional ethics and institutional demands

When institutional productivity pressures compromise the quality of client care, a CBS faces a conflict between professional ethical obligations and organizational demands.

When using social media to promote breastfeeding education, a CBS must AVOID:

Answer: Posting identifiable client information or cases without explicit written consent

Posting identifiable client information without explicit written consent violates client confidentiality and privacy, regardless of the platform used.

A CBS realizes mid-session that a client's case involves a medical complication beyond the CBS's competence. The MOST professional response is to:

Answer: Acknowledge the limitation, pause the session as appropriate, and refer the client to a qualified medical provider

Recognizing the limits of one's competence and making timely, appropriate referrals is a core ethical obligation that protects client safety.

A CBS is asked to endorse a specific brand of breast pump on their professional website in exchange for compensation. Which step is MOST important before agreeing?

Answer: Disclose the financial relationship transparently to clients and ensure the endorsement is based on evidence

Any commercial endorsement must include transparent disclosure of the financial relationship to clients, and recommendations must remain grounded in evidence-based practice.