Medical Ethics & Professionalism Flashcards

A physician who is impaired by substance abuse and continues to practice is violating which obligation?

Answer: Professional obligations to patient safety and fitness to practice

An impaired physician poses a direct risk to patient safety; professional obligations and UAE healthcare law require fitness to practice, and self-disclosure or peer reporting is an ethical and legal duty.

Under the UAE Medical Liability Law, a physician must inform a patient of treatment risks:

Answer: For all treatments where there is significant risk

Informed consent requires that patients be told of material risks associated with any treatment option; this is a legal obligation under UAE Medical Liability Law, not only for surgery or experiments.

Surrogate decision-making is invoked when:

Answer: A patient lacks decision-making capacity

Surrogate decision-making is invoked when a patient lacks the capacity (cognitive ability) to make an informed decision; a legally authorized surrogate or next-of-kin then makes decisions based on the patient's best interests.

The concept of 'Do Not Resuscitate' (DNR) order in UAE hospitals requires:

Answer: Documented informed decision involving patient/family and senior physician

A DNR order in UAE hospitals requires a documented informed consent process involving the patient (if competent) or family, and endorsement by a senior physician, following institutional and national ethical guidelines.

Medical paternalism refers to:

Answer: Overriding patient autonomy based on the physician's judgment of what is best

Medical paternalism occurs when a physician overrides a patient's autonomous choice, believing they know what is best for the patient; this conflicts with the modern ethical principle of patient autonomy.

In research ethics, the Belmont Report identifies which three core principles?

Answer: Respect for persons, beneficence, justice

The Belmont Report (1979) identifies three foundational principles for human research ethics: respect for persons (informed consent), beneficence (maximize benefits/minimize harm), and justice (fair subject selection).