DHA Medical Ethics & Professionalism 2

Question 1

A competent adult Muslim patient refuses a life-saving blood transfusion citing religious beliefs. The patient is fully informed of the risks. What is the ethical and legal obligation of the physician?

Accepted Answer

Respect the refusal, document thoroughly, and provide the best alternative care possible

Answer

Respecting patient autonomy means honoring a competent, informed adult's refusal of treatment, even life-saving treatment. The physician must document the informed refusal, explore alternatives (cell salvage, erythropoietin, etc.), and provide ongoing care. UAE law and medical ethics both support this.

Question 2

A physician discovers during a consultation that a patient's husband, who is also his patient, has a sexually transmitted infection. The wife is at risk but the husband refuses to disclose. What is the most appropriate course of action?

Accepted Answer

Counsel the husband on his ethical duty to disclose, offer resources, and consider whether the risk meets the threshold for overriding confidentiality

Answer

This involves a conflict between confidentiality and duty to protect a third party. The physician should first strongly counsel the husband to disclose. If the risk is serious and imminent (e.g., HIV), the physician may need to breach confidentiality to protect the wife — following applicable legal and ethical guidelines with minimum necessary disclosure.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the principle of 'non-maleficence' in medical ethics?

Accepted Answer

Avoiding or minimizing harm to patients

Answer

Non-maleficence ('do no harm') is one of the four pillars of medical ethics (Beauchamp and Childress). It obligates physicians to avoid causing unnecessary harm. This must be balanced against beneficence (doing good), as many treatments carry risks alongside benefits.

Question 4

A pharmaceutical company offers a physician an all-expenses-paid trip to a medical conference in exchange for preferentially prescribing their drug. This constitutes:

Accepted Answer

A conflict of interest and potentially corrupt practice violating DHA Code of Conduct

Answer

Accepting travel/accommodation from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing their products is a conflict of interest that compromises professional integrity and patient care. It violates DHA Code of Professional Conduct and may constitute corruption under UAE law.

Question 5

When is it ethically permissible for a physician to break patient confidentiality without consent?

Accepted Answer

When required by law (notifiable diseases, court order) or when serious, imminent harm to identifiable third parties cannot otherwise be prevented

Answer

Patient confidentiality may be broken without consent when: (1) legally required (mandatory reportable diseases, court orders, child protection laws), (2) serious and imminent harm to an identifiable third party exists that cannot be prevented otherwise, or (3) the patient lacks capacity and disclosure is in their best interest.

DHA - Dubai Health Authority Practice Test

DHA - Dubai Health Authority Practice Test

DHA Medical Ethics & Professionalism 2