Professional Standards and Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real RELIAS 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 Standards and Ethics flashcards as text
A healthcare worker discovers a colleague is falsifying patient documentation. What is the most appropriate first action?
Answer: Report the behavior through the facility's established reporting mechanism
Falsifying documentation is a serious ethical and legal violation that must be reported through proper organizational channels.
Which principle of healthcare ethics refers to the obligation to do good and act in the patient's best interest?
Answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical principle requiring healthcare providers to act in ways that promote patient well-being.
A patient refuses a recommended blood transfusion due to religious beliefs. The care team should:
Answer: Document the refusal and seek an alternative treatment plan respecting the patient's wishes
Competent adults have the right to refuse treatment even when the decision may harm them, and clinicians must document and honor that refusal.
What does HIPAA's minimum necessary standard require?
Answer: Disclosing only the minimum amount of PHI needed to accomplish the intended purpose
The minimum necessary standard limits PHI disclosures to what is reasonably needed for the specific purpose.
A nurse is offered a gift by a grateful patient's family after discharge. The most appropriate response is to:
Answer: Decline and explain the facility's policy on gifts
Most healthcare facilities have policies restricting or prohibiting acceptance of gifts to avoid conflicts of interest or perceived favoritism.
Which of the following best describes 'scope of practice'?
Answer: The procedures, actions, and processes a healthcare professional is permitted to perform based on their licensure and training
Scope of practice defines what tasks and responsibilities are authorized for a clinician based on education, licensure, and competency.
When a healthcare professional acts outside their defined scope of practice, the primary risk is:
Answer: Potential harm to the patient and legal/professional consequences for the provider
Practicing outside one's scope can result in patient harm, malpractice liability, and disciplinary action including license revocation.