Professional Standards & Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real ECC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Standards & Ethics flashcards as text
A patient regains consciousness mid-resuscitation and says 'stop, let me go.' What is the most appropriate immediate action?
Answer: Pause resuscitation and assess decision-making capacity
A conscious patient with intact decision-making capacity has the right to refuse treatment, requiring rapid capacity assessment before any change in care.
Which principle of bioethics obligates ECC providers to act in the patient's best interest?
Answer: Beneficence
Beneficence requires that healthcare providers take positive actions intended to benefit the patient.
During a code, a team member correctly identifies an error in medication dosing but the team leader ignores it. What should the team member do?
Answer: Use closed-loop communication and assertively re-state the concern
Closed-loop communication and assertiveness are professional obligations when patient safety is at risk, even when challenging authority.
A physician verbally orders a dose you believe is tenfold too high. You should:
Answer: Clarify and repeat the order back for confirmation before administration
Read-back and verification of verbal orders is a professional and safety standard that prevents medication errors.
Which ethical framework focuses on following rules and duties regardless of outcome?
Answer: Deontological ethics
Deontological ethics (e.g., Kantian ethics) emphasizes adherence to duties and rules as morally correct independent of consequences.
A patient's healthcare proxy is demanding continued aggressive resuscitation after the team has determined the effort is futile. The most appropriate step is:
Answer: Engage the ethics committee or palliative care team to facilitate discussion
Ethics consultation provides a structured framework for resolving conflicts between family wishes and medical futility assessments.
Maintaining patient privacy during a resuscitation in a shared emergency department bay is an example of which HIPAA principle?
Answer: Privacy Rule compliance
The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires protecting individually identifiable health information even in emergency settings.