Bioethics and Medical Law Flashcards

Which advance directive specifically designates a person to make medical decisions for a patient who lacks capacity?

Answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare

A durable power of attorney for healthcare names a specific individual (healthcare proxy or agent) to make medical decisions when the patient cannot.

Physician-assisted suicide is legal in which US states as of recent years?

Answer: Oregon, Washington, California, and several others under Death with Dignity laws

Multiple US states including Oregon (first, 1997), Washington, California, Colorado, and others have enacted Death with Dignity laws permitting physician-assisted dying under strict criteria.

Resource allocation in healthcare is governed primarily by which ethical principle?

Answer: Justice

Justice requires fair distribution of healthcare resources, addressing equity across populations and ensuring access regardless of socioeconomic or demographic factors.

A pharmaceutical company offers a physician expensive gifts in exchange for prescribing their medication. This is an example of:

Answer: Conflict of interest violating professional ethics

Receiving gifts that may influence prescribing creates a conflict of interest that compromises objectivity and patient-centered decision-making, violating AMA guidelines.

Which federal law protects physicians who provide emergency care in good faith from malpractice liability?

Answer: Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) combined with Good Samaritan laws

Good Samaritan laws provide liability protection for physicians rendering emergency aid, and EMTALA governs emergency care obligations in hospital settings.

In research ethics, the Belmont Report established which three core principles?

Answer: Respect for persons, beneficence, and justice

The 1979 Belmont Report identified respect for persons (autonomy), beneficence, and justice as the foundational principles guiding ethical human subjects research.