Medical Knowledge Medical Ethics & Law 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is informed consent?
- Patient agreeing to treatment after being told only the diagnosis
- Patient's voluntary agreement after receiving complete information about risks, benefits, and alternatives (Correct answer)
- A signed form required by law without any patient discussion
- Permission from a family member for an adult patient's treatment
Correct answer: Patient's voluntary agreement after receiving complete information about risks, benefits, and alternatives
Informed consent requires the patient receive understandable information about proposed treatments, risks, benefits, and alternatives before voluntarily agreeing.
Question 2: What is the principle of beneficence in medical ethics?
- Do no harm to the patient
- Act in the patient's best interest to promote their welfare (Correct answer)
- Treat all patients equally regardless of circumstances
- Respect the patient's stated wishes exclusively
Correct answer: Act in the patient's best interest to promote their welfare
Beneficence is the ethical obligation to actively promote patient welfare and act in their best interests.
Question 3: Under HIPAA, which information is considered protected health information (PHI)?
- General population health statistics
- De-identified research data
- Any individually identifiable health information (Correct answer)
- Published anonymized case studies
Correct answer: Any individually identifiable health information
HIPAA defines PHI as any individually identifiable information related to a patient's past, present, or future health condition, care, or payment.
Question 4: What is a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order?
- Order to transfer a patient to another facility
- Medical order instructing providers not to perform CPR if the patient's heart or breathing stops (Correct answer)
- Order to withhold all medications and treatments
- Order to keep a patient sedated at all times
Correct answer: Medical order instructing providers not to perform CPR if the patient's heart or breathing stops
A DNR order documents the patient's wish to forgo cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest.
Question 5: What does patient autonomy mean in medical ethics?
- The physician's right to make all treatment decisions
- The patient's right to make informed decisions about their own healthcare (Correct answer)
- The institution's right to set mandatory treatment policies
- The family's right to override a competent adult patient's decisions
Correct answer: The patient's right to make informed decisions about their own healthcare
Autonomy is the ethical principle that competent patients have the right to make their own informed healthcare decisions, including refusing treatment.
Question 6: What is the ethical principle of justice in healthcare?
- Avoiding all harm to patients
- Acting solely in the patient's best interest
- Fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources and treatment (Correct answer)
- Keeping all patient information strictly confidential
Correct answer: Fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources and treatment
Justice in healthcare requires fair allocation of resources, equal treatment of patients, and non-discriminatory provision of care.
Medical Knowledge Medical Ethics & Law 1
What is informed consent?