Ethics and Legal Duties Flashcards
7 cards from real MCCQE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics and Legal Duties flashcards as text
A capable adult patient refuses a blood transfusion on religious grounds despite life-threatening hemorrhage. What is the physician's ethical obligation?
Answer: Respect the refusal and provide alternative management
Capable adults have the right to refuse any treatment, including life-saving interventions, and physicians must respect this autonomy.
Under Canadian law, who is the most appropriate substitute decision-maker for an incapable adult patient with no advance directive?
Answer: The patient's spouse or partner
A spouse or partner is typically the highest-priority substitute decision-maker under most provincial consent legislation in Canada.
A patient discloses that they are HIV-positive and refuses to inform their regular sexual partner. The physician determines the partner is at serious risk. What is the most appropriate next step?
Answer: Continue counselling the patient and consider public health notification
The physician should continue counselling the patient and, if risk persists, may report to public health authorities under duty-to-warn principles while following provincial guidelines.
Which doctrine requires physicians to disclose information that a reasonable patient in the same circumstances would want to know before consenting to treatment?
Answer: Modified objective standard
The modified objective standard requires disclosure of what a reasonable patient would want to know, as established in Reibl v. Hughes.
A 15-year-old presents alone requesting contraception and demonstrates clear understanding of the treatment. Under the mature minor doctrine, what should the physician do?
Answer: Provide treatment after assessing capacity
Adolescents who demonstrate capacity to understand and appreciate treatment decisions may consent independently under the mature minor doctrine.
A surgeon discovers an unexpected finding during an operation that was not discussed preoperatively. The finding poses no immediate threat. What is the correct action?
Answer: Complete the consented procedure and discuss the finding postoperatively
Non-urgent unexpected findings should not be treated without prior consent; the surgeon should complete the consented procedure and obtain informed consent later.
A physician learns that a colleague is practicing while impaired by alcohol. What is the primary professional obligation?
Answer: Report to the regulatory college or appropriate authority
Physicians have a professional and ethical duty to report a colleague whose impairment poses a risk to patient safety to the appropriate regulatory body.