Free Bachelor of Health Science Medical Ethics and Law Questions and Answer — Questions and Answers
Question 1: As a resident in the emergency department, you encounter an angry parent who is upset that the social worker has been questioning him about striking his 5-year-old child. The child has visited the emergency department multiple times this year with unrelated traumas and is now brought in with a burn wound on his legs, claiming to have slipped into a hot bathtub. The parent threatens to sue and asserts their love for their son. What actions should you take in this situation?
- Report the family to child protective services. (Correct answer)
- Explain to the parents that the next time this happens you will have to call child protective services.
- Call the police.
- Ask the father yourself if there has been any abuse.
Correct answer: Report the family to child protective services.
Given the multiple red flags—repeated traumas, a suspicious burn injury with an inconsistent explanation, and the parent's aggressive reaction—there is a strong suspicion of child abuse. As a healthcare professional, you have a legal and ethical obligation to report suspected child abuse to Child Protective Services (CPS). This action prioritizes the child's safety and initiates an investigation by the appropriate authorities, rather than attempting to handle the situation independently or waiting for further incidents.
Question 2: As you're working at the hospital desk, a fellow hospital employee asks for information about a patient who was admitted last night due to a pulmonary embolus caused by cancer. This person claims to be a close friend and co-worker of your patient and provides proper identification as a hospital employee. What would be the most appropriate response to this request?
- Have him sign a release or consent form before revealing the information
- Give him the information on the patient.
- Give him the information only if he is a relative of the patient.
- Inform him that you are not at liberty to give details regarding the patient without the patient’s permission. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Inform him that you are not at liberty to give details regarding the patient without the patient’s permission.
Patient information is protected by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which mandates strict confidentiality. Even if the person is a co-worker and friend with hospital ID, you cannot disclose patient details without explicit permission from the patient themselves. This ensures the patient's right to privacy and control over their health information.
Question 3: While attending to patients in the clinic, you encounter two individuals dressed in dark suits and wearing sunglasses. They show you valid badges identifying them as members of a federal law enforcement agency. These individuals inform you that they are conducting a "minor investigation" related to one of your patients and request to review the patient's chart for a few minutes. They suggest that not cooperating could have consequences. What should you do in this situation?
- Tell them that you can give copies but not the original record.
- Ask them to sign a release for the chart so you are absolved of responsibility.
- Tell them you cannot show them the chart unless there is a signed release from the patient. (Correct answer)
- Don’t give them the chart but read the relevant information to them.
Correct answer: Tell them you cannot show them the chart unless there is a signed release from the patient.
Under HIPAA, patient records are highly protected, even from law enforcement, unless specific legal conditions are met. A signed patient release, a court order, or a subpoena is typically required to access patient charts. Simply showing badges and claiming an investigation is not sufficient grounds to breach patient confidentiality.
Question 4: As a psychiatrist, you find yourself in a session with a patient who expresses concerns about feeling persecuted by their boss. The patient has a history of mild schizophrenia and confides in you about planning to harm their boss in the future. Despite assuring the patient that everything discussed in the session will remain confidential, you now face an ethical dilemma. What action should you take?
- Inform law enforcement agencies of the threat to the patient’s boss.
- Inform both the patient’s boss as well as law enforcement of the threat. (Correct answer)
- Keep the patient’s session confidential but make attempts to discourage the patient from his plan.
- Inform your medical director and let him handle it.
Correct answer: Inform both the patient’s boss as well as law enforcement of the threat.
This scenario invokes the 'duty to warn' principle, established by the Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California case. When a patient poses a serious threat of physical violence to an identifiable victim, a healthcare professional's duty to protect the intended victim overrides patient confidentiality. Therefore, both the potential victim and law enforcement must be notified to prevent harm.
Question 5: You are discussing the care of an elderly woman with her family. The patient is currently awake and alert but very ill and physically fragile. You are waiting for the results of a biopsy that may indicate cancer that has already spread throughout her body. The family requests that you inform them first about the biopsy results to avoid upsetting the patient further, as they believe there may be no hope for a cure. What should you do?
- You ask them to involve the ethics committee for the hospital.
- You agree with their wishes and you ask them to give you the necessary written request.
- Explain to them that that decision can only be made by the health-care proxy. (Correct answer)
- You tell them that you are obligated to inform the patient of all the findings.
Correct answer: Explain to them that that decision can only be made by the health-care proxy.
Since the patient is awake, alert, and has decision-making capacity, they have the right to receive information about their own health status directly. While the family's concern is understandable, they cannot override the patient's autonomy or the healthcare provider's obligation to the patient. If the patient were incapacitated, then a legally designated health-care proxy would be the appropriate person to make such decisions.
Question 6: Medical ethics has existed since the time of _____ .
- Einstein
- Hippocrates (Correct answer)
- Hawking
- Hercules
Correct answer: Hippocrates
Medical ethics has deep historical roots, with its foundational principles often attributed to Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician. The Hippocratic Oath, which emphasizes patient well-being, confidentiality, and 'first, do no harm,' has guided medical practice for centuries. This demonstrates the long-standing commitment to ethical conduct in healthcare.
Question 7: What is an advanced directive that specifies not to perform advanced cardiac life support, CPR, etc., if a patient stops breathing or if their heart stops?
- DMR
- DNR (Correct answer)
- DRN
- DVD
Correct answer: DNR
DNR stands for 'Do Not Resuscitate,' which is an advanced directive. This legal document specifies a patient's wish not to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or other life-sustaining measures if their heart or breathing stops. It ensures that a patient's end-of-life wishes are respected by healthcare providers.
Question 8: The term for performing an act that a reasonable person would not have done or failing to do something that a reasonable person would have done in the same or similar circumstances, resulting in harm to a patient, is known as...
- Malpractice
- Negligence (Correct answer)
- Duty of care
- Confidentiality
Correct answer: Negligence
Negligence in healthcare refers to a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in the same or similar circumstances. This can involve either performing an act that a reasonable person would not have done or failing to perform an act that a reasonable person would have done. When this failure results in harm to a patient, it constitutes medical negligence.
Question 9: How has healthcare technology integrated technology and clinical practice? Which aspects are included in this?
- Nursing practice, housekeeping standards, and security
- Healthcare informatics, nursing informatics, and health information technology (Correct answer)
- Information highway, medical practice guidelines, and patient guidelines for filing insurance
- Technology, healthcare communications, data analytics, and security forces
Correct answer: Healthcare informatics, nursing informatics, and health information technology
Healthcare technology integrates various aspects to enhance clinical practice and patient care. This primarily includes healthcare informatics, which deals with information systems and data management; nursing informatics, focusing on technology's role in nursing; and health information technology (HIT), encompassing the tools and systems used to manage health information. These fields work together to improve efficiency, accuracy, and communication in healthcare.
Question 10: Which of the following must healthcare organizations adhere to when accepting patients covered by Medicare?
- Healthcare organizations must submit itemized bills to the patient first, then to the government.
- Medicare/Medicaid billing requirements and regulations for reimbursement must be met. (Correct answer)
- Details of employees must be submitted to Medicare for approval prior to the facility receiving Medicare approval.
- All policies and procedures must be approved by Medicare for the facility to receive reimbursement.
Correct answer: Medicare/Medicaid billing requirements and regulations for reimbursement must be met.
When healthcare organizations accept patients covered by Medicare, they must strictly adhere to Medicare/Medicaid billing requirements and regulations. This compliance is crucial for the facility to receive proper reimbursement for services provided. Failure to meet these specific guidelines can result in denied claims and financial penalties.
Question 11: What is required by the 'employer mandate' of the Affordable Care Act?
- Businesses with 50 or more full- or part-time employees must provide health insurance for at least half of them.
- Businesses with 20 or more full-time employees must provide health insurance for all of them.
- Businesses with 50 or more full-time employees must provide health insurance for 95% or more of them. (Correct answer)
- Businesses are no longer responsible for providing health insurance to employees.
Correct answer: Businesses with 50 or more full-time employees must provide health insurance for 95% or more of them.
The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) 'employer mandate' requires applicable large employers (ALEs) to offer affordable health insurance coverage. Specifically, businesses with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees must provide health insurance to at least 95% of their full-time employees and their dependents. Failure to comply can result in penalties.
Question 12: Mary, the human resources manager at ABC Company Ltd, dismissed James, a male candidate, during the interview process because he uses hearing aids. This exemplifies which type of discrimination?
- Gender
- Religious
- Disability (Correct answer)
- Racial
Correct answer: Disability
Dismissing a job candidate because they use hearing aids constitutes disability discrimination. This practice violates laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment. Employers are generally required to provide reasonable accommodations unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
Question 13: In healthcare, utilitarian ethics is applied in which of the following?
- To explain which characteristics we as health professionals should have
- To define professional duties
- Quality of Life Adjusted Years (QALYS) (Correct answer)
- All of the above
Correct answer: Quality of Life Adjusted Years (QALYS)
Utilitarian ethics in healthcare focuses on maximizing overall good and achieving the greatest good for the greatest number. Quality of Life Adjusted Years (QALYs) is a common application of utilitarian principles, used to assess the value of medical interventions by combining both the quantity and quality of life gained. This helps in making resource allocation decisions based on overall benefit.
Question 14: Which of the following is not among the four principles of biomedical ethics?
- Autonomy
- Fidelity (Correct answer)
- Justice
- Beneficence
Correct answer: Fidelity
The four widely recognized principles of biomedical ethics are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Autonomy respects a patient's right to make their own decisions, beneficence means acting in the patient's best interest, non-maleficence is the duty to do no harm, and justice ensures fair distribution of resources. Fidelity, while an important ethical concept, is not typically listed as one of these four foundational principles.
Question 15: In healthcare, autonomy is juxtaposed with which of the following?
- Existentialism
- Stoicism
- Paternalism (Correct answer)
- Determinism
Correct answer: Paternalism
In healthcare, autonomy refers to a patient's right to make informed decisions about their own medical care. This principle is often juxtaposed with paternalism, where a healthcare provider makes decisions for the patient, believing it is in their best interest, even if it overrides the patient's wishes. The shift in modern medicine emphasizes patient autonomy over paternalistic approaches.
Question 16: From which principle do we derive the professional duty of "First, do no harm"?
- Autonomy
- Non-maleficence (Correct answer)
- Justice
- Maleficence
Correct answer: Non-maleficence
The professional duty of 'First, do no harm' is derived directly from the principle of non-maleficence. This fundamental ethical principle obligates healthcare providers to avoid causing harm to their patients. It guides decisions to minimize risks and prevent injury or suffering during treatment and care.
Free Bachelor of Health Science Medical Ethics and Law Questions and Answer
As a resident in the emergency department, you encounter an angry parent who is upset that the social worker has been questioning him about striking his 5-year-old child.
The child has visited the emergency department multiple times this year with unrelated traumas and is now brought in with a burn wound on his legs, claiming to have slipped into a hot bathtub.
The parent threatens to sue and asserts their love for their son.
What actions should you take in this situation?