IHS Professional and Ethical Standards 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client's family member calls requesting details about the client's hearing evaluation results without the client's authorization. What should the specialist do?
- Share the results since family involvement improves outcomes
- Decline to release any information without the client's explicit written authorization (Correct answer)
- Share only general findings, not specific audiometric data
- Release the information if the family member is the client's emergency contact
Correct answer: Decline to release any information without the client's explicit written authorization
HIPAA and IHS confidentiality standards prohibit releasing client health information to third parties without explicit written authorization.
Question 2: What is the IHS ethical standard regarding the use of before-and-after promotional testimonials?
- Testimonials may be used freely as they are considered public speech
- Testimonials require the client's informed, written consent before use in any promotional material (Correct answer)
- Only written testimonials require consent; verbal endorsements do not
- Testimonials are prohibited entirely under IHS standards
Correct answer: Testimonials require the client's informed, written consent before use in any promotional material
Using a client's personal experience in advertising requires their explicit informed consent to protect their privacy.
Question 3: Which situation requires a hearing instrument specialist to make a medical referral under IHS professional standards?
- A client requests a second opinion on their audiogram
- A client presents with sudden unilateral hearing loss (Correct answer)
- A client is unhappy with the sound quality of their hearing aids
- A client asks about cochlear implant candidacy out of curiosity
Correct answer: A client presents with sudden unilateral hearing loss
Sudden unilateral hearing loss is a medical emergency that requires immediate physician referral under IHS standards.
Question 4: How should an IHS member respond if they realize they have made a clinical error that affected a client's care?
- Document the error in their own records but do not inform the client
- Disclose the error to the client, correct it where possible, and document the incident (Correct answer)
- Correct the error quietly without disclosure to avoid damaging client trust
- Consult an attorney before deciding whether to disclose the error
Correct answer: Disclose the error to the client, correct it where possible, and document the incident
IHS ethics require honest disclosure of errors to clients, corrective action, and thorough documentation.
Question 5: A prospective client asks a hearing instrument specialist to guarantee that hearing aids will restore their hearing to normal. What is the ethical response?
- Provide the guarantee to secure the sale and adjust expectations after fitting
- Explain that hearing aids improve hearing but cannot restore normal hearing, and avoid making guarantees (Correct answer)
- Provide a conditional guarantee based on the device's published performance specs
- Refer the client to an audiologist who can provide such guarantees
Correct answer: Explain that hearing aids improve hearing but cannot restore normal hearing, and avoid making guarantees
Making false or misleading guarantees about treatment outcomes violates IHS honesty and advertising standards.
Question 6: Under IHS ethical guidelines, what is the minimum appropriate action when a specialist suspects elder abuse in a hearing-impaired client?
- Document suspicions but take no further action to avoid false accusations
- Follow mandatory reporting laws applicable in their jurisdiction and report to the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the suspected abuser directly before contacting authorities
- Consult with the client's family before deciding whether to report
Correct answer: Follow mandatory reporting laws applicable in their jurisdiction and report to the appropriate authority
Specialists are bound by mandatory reporting laws and ethical duty to report suspected elder abuse to appropriate authorities.
Question 7: What does the IHS Code of Ethics state about advertising claims of professional superiority?
- Specialists may claim superiority if they have more years of experience than competitors
- Claims of professional superiority are prohibited unless they can be substantiated with factual evidence (Correct answer)
- All comparative advertising is prohibited regardless of supporting evidence
- Superiority claims are acceptable in social media but not in print advertising
Correct answer: Claims of professional superiority are prohibited unless they can be substantiated with factual evidence
IHS standards prohibit unsubstantiated superiority claims, requiring factual evidence to support any comparative advertising.
IHS Professional and Ethical Standards 4
A client's family member calls requesting details about the client's hearing evaluation results without the client's authorization.
What should the specialist do?