General Surgery Board Review Communication & Stakeholder Relations 5

Question 1

A surgeon is aware that a colleague has been operating under the influence of alcohol. The most appropriate immediate action is to:

Accepted Answer

Report the concern immediately to the department chief or designated authority

Answer

Impairment that endangers patient safety requires immediate reporting to the appropriate authority; delay constitutes a breach of professional duty.

Question 2

A patient's primary care physician calls asking for a detailed update on a surgical consult without a signed release on file. The appropriate response is to:

Accepted Answer

Confirm only that the patient is under your care and request a signed release

Answer

Even treatment-team communications require appropriate authorization; confirming care relationship while requesting a release balances continuity and privacy requirements.

Question 3

During informed consent for a high-risk hepatic resection, the patient asks 'what would you do if you were in my position?' The most appropriate response is to:

Accepted Answer

Share your personal perspective while making clear the decision ultimately belongs to the patient

Answer

Sharing a personal professional perspective when sincerely asked is ethically appropriate and builds trust, provided patient autonomy is clearly preserved.

Question 4

A surgical team member raises a safety concern using a 'two-challenge rule' before skin incision, but the surgeon dismisses it. The next appropriate step for the team member is to:

Accepted Answer

Escalate the concern to the OR charge nurse or supervisor

Answer

The two-challenge rule empowers any team member to escalate to supervisory authority when safety concerns are dismissed, supporting a just safety culture.

Question 5

A patient undergoing surgery for a perforated ulcer loses capacity intraoperatively due to hemodynamic instability. The surgeon discovers a synchronous cecal mass. The ethically appropriate intraoperative decision is to:

Accepted Answer

Address the life-threatening perforation only and defer elective resection for informed consent

Answer

Emergency doctrine allows only life-saving interventions when a patient lacks capacity; an incidental elective finding does not meet the threshold for unconsented surgery.

General Surgery Board Review Practice Test

General Surgery Board Review Practice Test

General Surgery Board Review Communication & Stakeholder Relations 5