Professional Ethics and Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real OSCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Ethics and Standards flashcards as text
A patient discloses active suicidal ideation with a specific plan. Which ethical obligation overrides strict confidentiality in this scenario?
Answer: Duty to warn and protect the patient from imminent harm
Imminent risk of self-harm creates a duty to protect that overrides the standard obligation of confidentiality.
The principle of justice in healthcare ethics primarily concerns:
Answer: Fair distribution of healthcare resources and equal treatment
Justice requires equitable allocation of resources and non-discriminatory treatment of all patients.
A patient asks for their medical record to be altered to remove a prior psychiatric diagnosis before applying for life insurance. The clinician should:
Answer: Explain that medical records cannot be falsified and offer to add a patient statement instead
Altering records to deceive third parties is fraud; clinicians can offer a formal patient statement addendum as a legal alternative.
In an OSCE communication station, maintaining appropriate professional boundaries with a patient means:
Answer: Keeping the relationship focused on the patient's clinical needs
Professional boundaries ensure the therapeutic relationship remains focused on the patient's wellbeing and avoid exploitation.
Which of the following best describes a conflict of interest in clinical practice?
Answer: A personal financial interest that could improperly influence clinical decision-making
A conflict of interest exists when a secondary interest—such as financial gain—could compromise a clinician's primary duty to the patient.
A competent elderly patient with terminal cancer declines further chemotherapy. The clinical team should:
Answer: Respect the refusal, ensure the patient is fully informed, and transition to comfort-focused care
A competent patient's informed refusal of treatment must be respected regardless of the clinician's personal views.
The duty of non-maleficence requires a clinician to:
Answer: Avoid actions that cause unnecessary harm to the patient
Non-maleficence is the obligation to refrain from actions that cause harm, including excessive or futile interventions.
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