CHAP Healthcare Ethics & Legal Standards Flashcards

Which ethical principle requires healthcare providers to act in the best interest of the patient?

Answer: Beneficence

Beneficence is the ethical principle that obligates healthcare providers to act in ways that benefit patients and promote their well-being.

What does 'informed consent' require in healthcare?

Answer: That the patient receives information about risks, benefits, and alternatives and voluntarily consents to treatment

Informed consent requires that patients receive adequate information about proposed treatments (including risks, benefits, and alternatives), understand it, and voluntarily agree to proceed.

Which legal document allows a person to designate someone to make healthcare decisions on their behalf if they become incapacitated?

Answer: Healthcare power of attorney (HCPOA)

A healthcare power of attorney (also called a healthcare proxy) designates a specific person to make medical decisions on the patient's behalf when the patient cannot make decisions themselves.

What is 'patient autonomy' in healthcare ethics?

Answer: The patient's right to make informed decisions about their own healthcare

Patient autonomy is the ethical principle that competent individuals have the right to make informed decisions about their own healthcare, including the right to refuse treatment.

Under EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act), what are hospital emergency departments required to do?

Answer: Screen all patients for emergency conditions and stabilize before discharge or transfer regardless of ability to pay

EMTALA requires hospital emergency departments to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and necessary stabilizing treatment to all individuals, regardless of ability to pay.

Which term describes a healthcare provider's legal duty to report certain conditions or events to government authorities?

Answer: Mandatory reporting

Mandatory reporting refers to legal requirements for healthcare providers to report specific conditions (such as communicable diseases, child abuse, or gunshot wounds) to designated government authorities.