MLS Professional Ethics & Communication 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An MLS discovers a critical potassium value of 6.8 mEq/L on a stat specimen. The ordering physician is unavailable. What is the most appropriate action?
- Document the result and wait for the physician to call
- Contact the charge nurse or covering physician immediately (Correct answer)
- Repeat the test three times before notifying anyone
- Release the result in the LIS and send a fax
Correct answer: Contact the charge nurse or covering physician immediately
Critical values must be communicated immediately to a responsible caregiver; if the ordering provider is unavailable, the next appropriate clinical contact must be notified.
Question 2: Which concept best describes the MLS's obligation to act in the patient's best interest above all other considerations?
- Nonmaleficence
- Autonomy
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical principle requiring healthcare professionals to act in the best interest of the patient.
Question 3: A laboratory report contains an error that was released to the patient's chart. The MLS who made the error should:
- Quietly correct the result without documentation
- Notify the supervisor and follow the facility's error correction protocol (Correct answer)
- Delete the original result from the LIS
- Inform only the patient, not the physician
Correct answer: Notify the supervisor and follow the facility's error correction protocol
Errors must be corrected transparently following facility protocol, with supervisor notification and proper documentation.
Question 4: Under HIPAA, a patient's laboratory results may be shared with:
- The patient's employer upon request
- The patient's spouse without patient consent
- Members of the patient's direct treatment team (Correct answer)
- A pharmaceutical company conducting research without patient consent
Correct answer: Members of the patient's direct treatment team
HIPAA permits disclosure of protected health information to those directly involved in the patient's treatment without additional authorization.
Question 5: When an MLS receives a verbal order for an add-on test, the best documentation practice is to:
- Perform the test and document nothing until the written order arrives
- Record the name of the person giving the verbal order, the test ordered, date, and time (Correct answer)
- Ask a coworker to witness the order verbally only
- Refuse all verbal orders as a standard policy
Correct answer: Record the name of the person giving the verbal order, the test ordered, date, and time
Proper documentation of verbal orders protects both the patient and the laboratory by creating a traceable record.
Question 6: An MLS is asked by a friend to look up a mutual acquaintance's recent lab results 'just out of curiosity.' The MLS should:
- Look up the results but not share them with others
- Decline; accessing records without a treatment purpose violates patient privacy (Correct answer)
- Access only the most recent result to minimize the breach
- Share the results if the acquaintance is also a healthcare worker
Correct answer: Decline; accessing records without a treatment purpose violates patient privacy
Accessing patient records without a legitimate clinical reason is a HIPAA violation regardless of personal relationships.
Question 7: A laboratory policy conflicts with a physician's direct verbal instruction regarding specimen handling. The MLS should:
- Follow the physician's instruction to maintain a good working relationship
- Follow established laboratory policy and communicate the policy to the physician (Correct answer)
- Use personal judgment to decide which approach is safer
- Ignore both and use a third alternative
Correct answer: Follow established laboratory policy and communicate the policy to the physician
Laboratory policies are based on validated procedures and regulatory requirements; deviations require formal approval through proper channels.
MLS Professional Ethics & Communication 2
An MLS discovers a critical potassium value of 6.8 mEq/L on a stat specimen.
The ordering physician is unavailable.
What is the most appropriate action?