FACEM Professional Ethics and Standards 3

Question 1

A 15-year-old presents to the ED requesting treatment for a sexually transmitted infection without parental knowledge. The physician should:

Accepted Answer

Treat the patient if they demonstrate sufficient maturity to understand the treatment

Answer

Refuse treatment without parental consent

Answer

Notify parents regardless of the patient's wishes due to their age

Answer

Defer treatment until a social worker is available

Question 2

An emergency physician receives a gift from a grateful patient's family. According to professional ethics guidelines, the physician should:

Accepted Answer

Accept only gifts below a defined modest threshold per institutional policy

Answer

Accept any gift as it does not influence clinical decisions

Answer

Accept the gift but declare it formally to the hospital

Answer

Refuse all gifts regardless of their nature or value

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'therapeutic privilege' in emergency medicine ethics?

Accepted Answer

Withholding information from a patient if disclosure would cause serious harm

Answer

The right of physicians to override patient consent in emergencies

Answer

Prioritizing physician judgment over patient preferences in all cases

Answer

The legal immunity granted to emergency physicians for good-faith decisions

Question 4

A patient who is a nurse asks an emergency physician to access her colleague's medical records to check on his condition. The correct response is:

Accepted Answer

Deny access as the nurse has no therapeutic relationship with the patient

Answer

Grant access as both are healthcare workers

Answer

Allow read-only access given the professional context

Answer

Check with hospital administration before allowing access

Question 5

During a mass casualty event, a physician must use triage principles. From an ethical standpoint, utilitarian triage primarily aims to:

Accepted Answer

Maximise the number of lives saved given limited resources

Answer

Treat the most critical patients first regardless of survival probability

Answer

Provide equal treatment time to all patients

Answer

Prioritise patients based on their social role

Question 6

An emergency physician is asked by police to draw blood from a patient for a blood alcohol level without the patient's consent and without a warrant. The physician should:

Accepted Answer

Refuse as this violates patient autonomy and privacy without legal authorization

Answer

Comply immediately as law enforcement requests take precedence

Answer

Proceed if the physician personally believes the patient is intoxicated

Answer

Consult a colleague before deciding

Question 7

When a clinician's personal moral beliefs conflict with providing a legal medical treatment in the ED, the primary obligation is to:

Accepted Answer

Ensure the patient receives timely access to the treatment through referral or transfer

Answer

Withhold the treatment based on conscientious objection without further action

Answer

Inform the patient their request conflicts with the physician's values and discharge them

Answer

Delay treatment until an ethics committee review is completed