MSRA Ethics and Law Flashcards

A patient discloses during consultation that they are HIV-positive but refuses to inform their regular sexual partner. What is the doctor's responsibility?

Answer: Counsel the patient, encourage disclosure, and consider informing the PHSA if the partner is at serious risk

Doctors should strongly encourage patients to disclose, and if a serious identifiable risk persists after counselling, disclosure to a third party may be justified to prevent serious harm.

A 17-year-old is brought in unconscious following a drug overdose. His parents demand full disclosure of his medical history and current treatment. What is the correct approach?

Answer: Treat the patient, and share only information necessary for immediate care, respecting prior expressed confidentiality preferences where known

Even for minors, confidentiality obligations apply; share information necessary for treatment and safety, but full historical disclosure requires either patient consent or a clear public interest justification.

A patient lacks mental capacity and has no advance directive. What framework governs treatment decisions in England and Wales?

Answer: The Mental Capacity Act 2005

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 governs decision-making for incapacitated adults, requiring clinicians to act in the patient's best interests after consulting those close to them.

During a ward round, a consultant makes a clinical error and asks the junior doctor not to document it. What should the junior doctor do?

Answer: Document the clinical facts accurately and escalate the error via incident reporting

The duty of candour requires honest documentation of errors and transparent reporting through incident systems; concealment is professionally and legally indefensible.

A pharmaceutical company offers a doctor a paid speaking engagement with flights and accommodation to promote their new drug. What should the doctor do?

Answer: Decline if the arrangement could reasonably be seen as influencing prescribing behaviour

GMC guidance prohibits accepting gifts or hospitality that could influence, or appear to influence, clinical decisions; sponsored engagements tied to product promotion fall into this category.

A patient is found to have capacity but requests a treatment that the doctor believes is not clinically indicated. What is the most appropriate response?

Answer: Explain the clinical rationale, explore the patient's concerns, and offer appropriate alternatives

While patients can refuse treatment, they cannot demand a clinically unjustified intervention; the doctor should explain their reasoning, understand the patient's concerns, and offer evidence-based alternatives.