MLS Professional Ethics & Communication 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which professional organization publishes a Code of Ethics specifically for clinical laboratory scientists in the United States?
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) (Correct answer)
- College of American Pathologists (CAP)
- Joint Commission (TJC)
Correct answer: American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)
The ASCLS Code of Ethics outlines the professional and ethical responsibilities expected of clinical laboratory scientists.
Question 2: An MLS notices a coworker consistently skipping the required specimen identification step before testing. The most ethical response is to:
- Say nothing to avoid workplace conflict
- Report the behavior to the supervisor to protect patient safety (Correct answer)
- Confront the coworker loudly in front of patients
- Repeat the coworker's tests personally without informing anyone
Correct answer: Report the behavior to the supervisor to protect patient safety
Patient safety supersedes workplace social comfort; unsafe practices must be reported through proper supervisory channels.
Question 3: The ethical principle of 'nonmaleficence' in laboratory practice means the MLS must:
- Ensure equitable access to laboratory services for all patients
- Respect the patient's right to refuse testing
- Avoid actions that cause unnecessary harm to patients (Correct answer)
- Act in the patient's best interest at all times
Correct answer: Avoid actions that cause unnecessary harm to patients
Nonmaleficence means 'do no harm' — the MLS must avoid practices that could injure or negatively impact patients.
Question 4: When documenting a critical value call, which piece of information is LEAST relevant to record?
- Name of the person notified
- Time of notification
- Patient's insurance carrier (Correct answer)
- Read-back confirmation obtained
Correct answer: Patient's insurance carrier
Critical value documentation focuses on communication details (who, when, confirmation) — insurance information is not relevant to this safety process.
Question 5: A patient requests copies of their own laboratory results. Under HIPAA, the laboratory must:
- Deny the request because results are proprietary
- Provide access within 30 days under the HIPAA Right of Access rule (Correct answer)
- Require the ordering physician to release results on the patient's behalf
- Charge an unrestricted fee before releasing any records
Correct answer: Provide access within 30 days under the HIPAA Right of Access rule
HIPAA's Right of Access provision requires covered entities to provide patients access to their PHI within 30 days of a request.
Question 6: Which behavior best demonstrates professional integrity in the laboratory setting?
- Reporting only favorable quality control results to avoid rerunning the analyzer
- Accurately documenting all QC failures and corrective actions taken (Correct answer)
- Adjusting results slightly to match expected clinical findings
- Backdating specimen receipt times to meet turnaround targets
Correct answer: Accurately documenting all QC failures and corrective actions taken
Professional integrity requires honest and complete documentation, including all QC failures and the steps taken to resolve them.
Question 7: An MLS in a small community is asked to test a specimen from a prominent local figure. The MLS should:
- Apply the same rigorous standards used for every other patient's specimen (Correct answer)
- Expedite results without following normal procedures to accommodate the VIP
- Inform colleagues about the high-profile patient to ensure awareness
- Decline to test the specimen to avoid potential bias
Correct answer: Apply the same rigorous standards used for every other patient's specimen
All patients must receive equal quality laboratory services regardless of their social standing or prominence.
MLS Professional Ethics & Communication 3
Which professional organization publishes a Code of Ethics specifically for clinical laboratory scientists in the United States?