Medical Ethics & Patient Rights Flashcards
7 cards from real CLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medical Ethics & Patient Rights flashcards as text
A laboratory technologist notices a systematic error that has been producing falsely elevated glucose results for two weeks. The ethical obligation is to:
Answer: Report the error to the laboratory director and affected clinicians immediately
Honesty and patient safety require prompt disclosure of laboratory errors to supervisors and clinical staff so corrective actions and patient notifications can occur.
Which document authorizes a designated individual to make healthcare decisions for an incapacitated patient?
Answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
A durable power of attorney for healthcare designates a healthcare proxy to make medical decisions when the patient cannot do so.
In the context of laboratory ethics, 'justice' most directly requires that:
Answer: Laboratory resources and services are distributed fairly among patients
The principle of justice in healthcare ethics concerns the fair and equitable distribution of benefits, risks, and resources among patients.
A physician orders a test that the laboratory technologist believes is medically unnecessary. The best initial action is to:
Answer: Perform the test and document the concern through appropriate channels
Laboratory professionals should perform ordered tests while using proper institutional channels to raise clinical or ethical concerns.
Patient specimens labeled with only a medical record number (MRN) rather than a full name are acceptable under which condition?
Answer: When institutional policy and CLIA standards are met for two-patient identifiers
CLIA requires two patient identifiers on specimens; an MRN plus a second identifier such as date of birth satisfies this requirement per institutional policy.
A laboratory technologist witnesses a coworker falsifying quality control records. The technologist's primary ethical and legal obligation is to:
Answer: Report the behavior to a supervisor or compliance officer
Falsifying quality control records is both unethical and illegal under CLIA; reporting to a supervisor or compliance officer is the required response.
Which statement best describes the ethical principle of nonmaleficence as applied in the clinical laboratory?
Answer: Avoiding actions that cause unnecessary harm to patients
Nonmaleficence ('do no harm') obligates laboratory professionals to avoid procedures, errors, or disclosures that could injure or harm the patient.