CME Medical Ethics & Patient Rights 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client with a hearing impairment arrives for electrolysis treatment. What is the electrologist's ethical obligation?
- Refuse treatment until the client can communicate verbally
- Provide reasonable accommodations to ensure effective communication and informed consent (Correct answer)
- Charge an extra fee for the additional time required
- Proceed with standard treatment without modification
Correct answer: Provide reasonable accommodations to ensure effective communication and informed consent
Electrologists must provide reasonable accommodations to ensure clients with disabilities receive effective communication and can give informed consent.
Question 2: An electrologist discovers a suspicious mole on a client's skin during treatment. What is the most appropriate ethical action?
- Remove the mole during the electrolysis session
- Ignore it as it is outside the scope of practice
- Document the finding and recommend the client see a dermatologist (Correct answer)
- Take a photo and post it online for peer feedback
Correct answer: Document the finding and recommend the client see a dermatologist
Practicing within scope of practice means referring clients to appropriate medical professionals when abnormalities are observed.
Question 3: Which ethical principle requires an electrologist to act in the client's best interest even when it may conflict with the practitioner's financial interests?
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Veracity
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence obligates healthcare providers to act in ways that benefit the patient, even at personal cost to the provider.
Question 4: A client requests that the electrologist perform a procedure the practitioner believes is medically inadvisable. What is the best course of action?
- Perform the procedure since the client has autonomy
- Refuse without explanation to protect the client
- Explain the risks, document the client's decision, and proceed only if safe (Correct answer)
- Contact the client's family for a secondary opinion
Correct answer: Explain the risks, document the client's decision, and proceed only if safe
Respecting autonomy means informing clients of risks, documenting their informed decision, and proceeding only when it is safe to do so.
Question 5: What does the principle of justice require of an electrologist when pricing services?
- Charging higher prices to clients who appear wealthier
- Applying fees consistently and fairly without discrimination (Correct answer)
- Offering discounts only to clients of certain demographics
- Refusing service to clients who cannot pay full price
Correct answer: Applying fees consistently and fairly without discrimination
Justice in healthcare ethics requires fair, non-discriminatory treatment and consistent application of policies to all clients.
Question 6: An electrologist is asked by an insurance company to provide details of a client's treatment history. What is the correct ethical response?
- Share all records immediately to comply with insurance requests
- Provide records only after obtaining written authorization from the client (Correct answer)
- Deny any knowledge of the client to protect privacy
- Share only basic demographic information without consent
Correct answer: Provide records only after obtaining written authorization from the client
HIPAA requires written client authorization before releasing treatment records to third parties, including insurance companies.
Question 7: Which scenario best illustrates a breach of professional boundaries in electrology practice?
- Following up with a client about post-treatment care
- Accepting a client's social media friend request and discussing treatments online (Correct answer)
- Sending appointment reminders via text with client consent
- Referring a client to a colleague for a second opinion
Correct answer: Accepting a client's social media friend request and discussing treatments online
Accepting personal social media connections with clients blurs professional boundaries and can compromise the therapeutic relationship.
CME Medical Ethics & Patient Rights 2
A client with a hearing impairment arrives for electrolysis treatment.
What is the electrologist's ethical obligation?