DO Bioethics and Medical Law 2

Question 1

Which of the four elements of malpractice must include proof that the physician's breach directly caused patient harm?

Accepted Answer

Causation

Answer

Causation (both actual and proximate) requires proving that the physician's breach of the standard of care directly resulted in the patient's injury.

Question 2

A patient lacks decision-making capacity. Their legally designated healthcare proxy requests a treatment the physician believes is harmful. The physician should:

Accepted Answer

Negotiate with the proxy using the patient's best interests as the standard

Answer

The healthcare proxy must decide based on the patient's previously expressed wishes or best interests, and physicians may involve ethics committees if the proxy appears to deviate from this standard.

Question 3

Mandatory reporting laws in the US require physicians to report which of the following to authorities?

Accepted Answer

Suspected child abuse and neglect

Answer

All US states mandate that physicians report suspected child abuse and neglect to child protective services, overriding patient-physician confidentiality.

Question 4

What is the ethical distinction between withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment?

Accepted Answer

There is no ethical distinction; both are morally equivalent when informed consent is obtained

Answer

Medical ethics and US law hold that withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment are morally equivalent when consistent with the patient's informed wishes.

Question 5

The principle of double effect permits the use of high-dose opioids for pain relief even if they may hasten death, provided that:

Accepted Answer

The primary intent is pain relief, not to hasten death

Answer

Double effect permits an action with both good and harmful effects when the intent is the good effect (analgesia), the harmful effect is not the means to the good, and the good outweighs the harm.

DO - Doctor of Osteopathy Practice Test

DO - Doctor of Osteopathy Practice Test

DO Bioethics and Medical Law 2