CDCES Professional Ethics and Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CDCES discovers that a colleague is providing outdated diabetes education that contradicts current clinical guidelines. What is the most appropriate first step?
- Report the colleague directly to the state licensing board
- Discuss concerns with the colleague privately and professionally (Correct answer)
- Ignore the situation to avoid conflict
- Inform patients that the colleague's advice is incorrect
Correct answer: Discuss concerns with the colleague privately and professionally
Addressing concerns directly with the colleague first is the professional and ethical approach before escalating to formal reporting.
Question 2: Which principle from the ADCES Code of Ethics requires a CDCES to accurately represent their credentials and scope of practice?
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Veracity (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Veracity
Veracity (truthfulness) obligates professionals to honestly represent their qualifications and competencies to patients and employers.
Question 3: A CDCES working in a rural area is asked to provide services slightly outside their training. The nearest specialist is 200 miles away. What should guide this decision?
- Patient need justifies any scope expansion
- Assess competency, consult available resources, and refer when patient safety is at risk (Correct answer)
- Decline all requests outside core diabetes education
- Proceed only if the employer approves in writing
Correct answer: Assess competency, consult available resources, and refer when patient safety is at risk
Ethical practice requires honest self-assessment of competency and appropriate referral when patient safety may be compromised, even in underserved areas.
Question 4: Under HIPAA, which action by a CDCES would constitute a privacy violation?
- Sharing de-identified patient data for quality improvement
- Discussing a patient's case with their endocrinologist involved in their care
- Telling a patient's employer about their diabetes diagnosis without authorization (Correct answer)
- Providing a care summary to the patient's PCP at the patient's request
Correct answer: Telling a patient's employer about their diabetes diagnosis without authorization
Disclosing a patient's diagnosis to their employer without written authorization violates HIPAA's privacy protections for protected health information.
Question 5: A pharmaceutical company offers a CDCES a $500 gift card for referring patients to their diabetes medication program. What is the ethical response?
- Accept if the medication is clinically appropriate
- Accept and disclose the arrangement to patients
- Decline, as this creates a financial conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Accept and donate the gift card to a diabetes charity
Correct answer: Decline, as this creates a financial conflict of interest
Accepting financial incentives for referrals creates a conflict of interest that compromises patient-centered care and violates professional ethics standards.
Question 6: A CDCES notices signs of depression in a patient with poorly controlled diabetes but is not trained in mental health counseling. What is the ethical obligation?
- Provide basic counseling since it relates to diabetes management
- Acknowledge the concern and refer to an appropriate mental health professional (Correct answer)
- Document the observation but take no further action
- Prescribe antidepressants if working under a physician's supervision
Correct answer: Acknowledge the concern and refer to an appropriate mental health professional
Recognizing when a patient's needs exceed your scope and facilitating appropriate referral is a core ethical obligation in diabetes care.
Question 7: Which documentation practice best reflects ethical standards for a CDCES?
- Documenting only positive patient outcomes to support program value
- Recording assessments, interventions, and outcomes accurately and in a timely manner (Correct answer)
- Using general templates without individualized patient details to save time
- Documenting planned interventions as completed to ensure billing compliance
Correct answer: Recording assessments, interventions, and outcomes accurately and in a timely manner
Accurate, timely, and individualized documentation is an ethical requirement that ensures continuity of care and professional accountability.
CDCES Professional Ethics and Standards 2
A CDCES discovers that a colleague is providing outdated diabetes education that contradicts current clinical guidelines.
What is the most appropriate first step?