ECC Professional Standards & Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An ECC provider who continues resuscitation efforts well beyond what evidence supports to avoid a difficult conversation with family is exhibiting:
- Beneficence
- Futile care driven by provider discomfort (Correct answer)
- Appropriate duty of care
- Respect for autonomy
Correct answer: Futile care driven by provider discomfort
Prolonging futile resuscitation to avoid grief conversations prioritizes provider comfort over patient dignity and evidence-based practice.
Question 2: A bystander CPR provider at a community event is protected from civil liability in most US states under:
- HIPAA Safe Harbor provisions
- Good Samaritan laws (Correct answer)
- The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)
- The Patient Self-Determination Act
Correct answer: Good Samaritan laws
Good Samaritan laws in most US states provide liability protection to laypersons and trained responders who provide emergency care in good faith.
Question 3: Which document allows a patient to designate another person to make medical decisions if they lose capacity?
- Living will
- POLST form
- Durable power of attorney for healthcare (Correct answer)
- Do-not-resuscitate order
Correct answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
A durable power of attorney for healthcare (DPAHC) legally designates a surrogate decision-maker for incapacitated patients.
Question 4: The ethical principle requiring that limited resuscitation resources be allocated fairly across patients is:
- Autonomy
- Beneficence
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Justice
Justice requires fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources, particularly critical in mass casualty and resource-scarce settings.
Question 5: A provider suspects a colleague is impaired by alcohol while on duty during a code response. The professional obligation is to:
- Ignore the situation to maintain team cohesion during the emergency
- Remove the colleague from patient care and report to a supervisor immediately (Correct answer)
- Allow the colleague to finish the shift and discuss it afterward
- Consult the patient's family before taking action
Correct answer: Remove the colleague from patient care and report to a supervisor immediately
Provider impairment poses immediate patient safety risk, requiring immediate removal from direct care and supervisory notification.
Question 6: Informed consent is generally NOT required before initiating resuscitation in an unconscious patient because:
- Resuscitation is always legally mandated
- Implied consent is presumed in life-threatening emergencies when the patient cannot consent (Correct answer)
- Family members automatically provide consent
- EMTALA eliminates the need for consent in all emergencies
Correct answer: Implied consent is presumed in life-threatening emergencies when the patient cannot consent
Implied consent is a legal doctrine presuming that an unconscious patient would consent to life-saving treatment if able to do so.
Question 7: After a failed resuscitation, a provider shares identifiable case details on social media for 'educational purposes.' This violates:
- AHA guidelines on resuscitation quality
- HIPAA Privacy Rule and professional ethics standards (Correct answer)
- EMTALA regulations
- Good Samaritan statutes
Correct answer: HIPAA Privacy Rule and professional ethics standards
Sharing identifiable patient information on social media violates HIPAA's Privacy Rule and breaches professional confidentiality obligations.
ECC Professional Standards & Ethics 3
An ECC provider who continues resuscitation efforts well beyond what evidence supports to avoid a difficult conversation with family is exhibiting: