Medical Ethics & Patient Rights Flashcards
7 cards from real SHS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medical Ethics & Patient Rights flashcards as text
A patient refuses a blood transfusion on religious grounds despite a life-threatening condition. What is the healthcare provider's ethical obligation?
Answer: Respect the refusal if the patient is competent and informed
A competent, informed adult has the right to refuse any treatment, including life-saving ones, based on personal or religious beliefs.
Which principle of biomedical ethics requires healthcare workers to 'do no harm'?
Answer: Nonmaleficence
Nonmaleficence is the principle that obligates providers to avoid causing unnecessary harm or injury to patients.
Under HIPAA, which of the following is considered a permissible disclosure of protected health information without patient authorization?
Answer: Reporting a communicable disease to the public health department
Public health reporting for communicable diseases is a legally recognized permissible disclosure under HIPAA's public interest exceptions.
A patient's surrogate decision-maker should base decisions on which standard?
Answer: The patient's previously expressed wishes or best interests
Surrogates must apply the substituted judgment standard — honoring what the patient would have wanted — or the best interest standard when preferences are unknown.
Which document allows a patient to designate another person to make healthcare decisions on their behalf if incapacitated?
Answer: Durable power of attorney for healthcare
A durable power of attorney for healthcare (healthcare proxy) legally designates a specific individual to make medical decisions when the patient cannot.
What is the primary purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) in the context of medical research?
Answer: To protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects
IRBs review research protocols to ensure participant safety, informed consent, and ethical conduct of studies involving human subjects.
A patient asks a nurse not to share their HIV-positive status with their spouse. The nurse believes the spouse is at risk. What should the nurse do first?
Answer: Consult ethics committee and follow facility protocol on duty to warn
The nurse must balance confidentiality with potential duty-to-warn obligations, which requires consultation with ethics resources and adherence to institutional and state law.