MS Professional Ethics & Communication 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A medical scribe realizes they made an error in a previously submitted note. What is the correct course of action?
- Delete the incorrect entry and retype it
- Notify the physician and follow the facility's amendment/correction policy (Correct answer)
- Leave the error and correct it in the next visit's note
- Create a new note without referencing the old one
Correct answer: Notify the physician and follow the facility's amendment/correction policy
Errors must be corrected through proper amendment procedures — never by deleting original entries — to maintain the integrity of the medical record.
Question 2: What is the primary reason medical scribes should avoid using their personal phones during patient encounters?
- It drains the phone battery
- It creates distractions that compromise documentation accuracy and patient privacy (Correct answer)
- Phones are not allowed in clinical settings by law
- It may interfere with medical equipment
Correct answer: It creates distractions that compromise documentation accuracy and patient privacy
Personal phone use during encounters compromises the scribe's focus and creates risk of unauthorized recording or privacy breaches.
Question 3: Which of the following best represents the ethical principle of 'nonmaleficence' as it applies to a medical scribe?
- Ensuring the patient receives the best possible care
- Avoiding documentation errors that could lead to patient harm (Correct answer)
- Keeping all patient information confidential
- Treating all patients with equal respect
Correct answer: Avoiding documentation errors that could lead to patient harm
Nonmaleficence means 'do no harm,' and for scribes this means accurate documentation to prevent medical errors.
Question 4: During a patient encounter, you notice the physician appears to be intoxicated. What is the most appropriate action?
- Continue documenting as normal and say nothing
- Quietly report your concern to a supervisor or appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the physician directly in front of the patient
- Refuse to document anything for that encounter
Correct answer: Quietly report your concern to a supervisor or appropriate authority
Reporting concerns about impaired providers to a supervisor protects patient safety and follows proper chain-of-command protocols.
Question 5: A pharmaceutical representative asks a medical scribe to include a specific drug brand name in documentation whenever a certain medication class is prescribed. What should the scribe do?
- Comply if the physician has a relationship with the representative
- Decline, as documentation must reflect physician decisions without external influence (Correct answer)
- Ask the physician for permission first
- Use the brand name only when the physician verbally specifies it
Correct answer: Decline, as documentation must reflect physician decisions without external influence
Documentation must reflect the physician's clinical decisions, not external commercial influence.
Question 6: What does 'informed consent' mean in the context of a scribe's role?
- The patient consents to the scribe accessing their records
- The patient is informed and agrees to the scribe's presence and role in their care (Correct answer)
- The scribe consents to documenting sensitive information
- Consent obtained by the scribe on behalf of the physician
Correct answer: The patient is informed and agrees to the scribe's presence and role in their care
Patients should be informed that a scribe will be present and assisting with documentation and given the opportunity to consent.
Question 7: A medical scribe overhears a nurse making a derogatory comment about a patient's lifestyle. What is the most professional response?
- Agree with the nurse to maintain a good working relationship
- Ignore it to avoid workplace conflict
- Address the behavior professionally or report it through appropriate channels (Correct answer)
- Tell the patient what was said
Correct answer: Address the behavior professionally or report it through appropriate channels
Professional responsibility includes addressing or reporting unprofessional behavior that could compromise patient-centered care.
MS Professional Ethics & Communication 3
A medical scribe realizes they made an error in a previously submitted note.
What is the correct course of action?