IHS Professional and Ethical Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under IHS ethical standards, how should a specialist handle a situation where their personal financial interest conflicts with the client's best hearing healthcare interest?
- Prioritize the financial interest if the difference in outcomes is minor
- Always place the client's hearing health needs above personal financial gain (Correct answer)
- Disclose the conflict only if the client specifically asks
- Avoid clients where any conflict of interest exists
Correct answer: Always place the client's hearing health needs above personal financial gain
IHS ethics require that client welfare always take precedence over the practitioner's financial interests.
Question 2: Which action by a hearing instrument specialist would violate IHS standards related to scope of practice?
- Performing audiometric testing within their licensed scope
- Diagnosing a medical condition such as Meniere's disease without a physician referral (Correct answer)
- Referring a client to an audiologist for a cochlear implant evaluation
- Dispensing hearing instruments after completing a hearing evaluation
Correct answer: Diagnosing a medical condition such as Meniere's disease without a physician referral
Diagnosing medical conditions falls outside the scope of practice for hearing instrument specialists and violates professional standards.
Question 3: An IHS member learns that a peer is practicing with a lapsed license. What is the ethical obligation?
- Ignore it since it is not their responsibility
- Encourage the peer to renew their license and report continued unlicensed practice if it persists (Correct answer)
- Cover for the peer by providing their license number when needed
- Report the peer immediately to law enforcement without any discussion
Correct answer: Encourage the peer to renew their license and report continued unlicensed practice if it persists
IHS ethics call for addressing unlicensed practice by first encouraging compliance, then reporting ongoing violations to protect the public.
Question 4: A client requests a copy of their audiogram and hearing evaluation records. What must a specialist do?
- Provide records only if the client is transferring to another provider
- Provide the client with their records upon request, as they have a right to access them (Correct answer)
- Charge a significant fee to discourage unnecessary record requests
- Provide records only with a physician's authorization
Correct answer: Provide the client with their records upon request, as they have a right to access them
Patients have a legal and ethical right to access their own health records under HIPAA and IHS professional standards.
Question 5: What does 'informed consent' require from a hearing instrument specialist before fitting a client?
- Only verbal explanation of the fitting procedure
- A written explanation of the risks, benefits, alternatives, and cost so the client can make a voluntary decision (Correct answer)
- Consent from the client's physician before proceeding
- Demonstration that the client has passed a basic hearing knowledge quiz
Correct answer: A written explanation of the risks, benefits, alternatives, and cost so the client can make a voluntary decision
Informed consent requires that clients receive comprehensive information to make a voluntary, educated decision about their care.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the IHS position on providing services to clients who cannot speak English fluently?
- Specialists are only obligated to serve English-speaking clients
- Specialists should make reasonable accommodations to ensure effective communication and informed consent (Correct answer)
- Non-English-speaking clients should be referred exclusively to multilingual providers
- Using online translation tools satisfies all professional obligations
Correct answer: Specialists should make reasonable accommodations to ensure effective communication and informed consent
IHS ethics require practitioners to ensure meaningful communication and informed consent regardless of language barriers.
Question 7: A specialist is offered a free vacation by a hearing aid manufacturer in exchange for recommending only their products. What is the ethical response?
- Accept if the manufacturer's products are clinically appropriate for most clients
- Decline, as accepting gifts that influence clinical recommendations violates professional independence (Correct answer)
- Accept and disclose the arrangement to clients if asked
- Accept only if the value of the trip is under $500
Correct answer: Decline, as accepting gifts that influence clinical recommendations violates professional independence
Accepting incentives that compromise independent clinical judgment is a conflict of interest prohibited by IHS ethics.
IHS Professional and Ethical Standards 3
Under IHS ethical standards, how should a specialist handle a situation where their personal financial interest conflicts with the client's best hearing healthcare interest?