STP Professional Practice & Ethics 5

Question 1

A scientist is asked to provide an expert witness statement for a legal case. What is their primary duty?

Accepted Answer

To provide an objective, independent opinion to the court

Answer

Expert witnesses owe their primary duty to the court, not to the instructing party, and must give an honest, objective, and independent opinion.

Question 2

What does 'beneficence' require of a healthcare researcher?

Accepted Answer

Actively promoting the wellbeing of participants and maximising benefits of the research

Answer

Beneficence requires researchers to act in the best interests of participants and society by maximising benefits while minimising risks.

Question 3

A scientist working in the NHS wants to share de-identified patient data with an overseas collaborator. What must they consider first?

Accepted Answer

Whether the destination country has adequate data protection standards under UK GDPR

Answer

UK GDPR restricts international data transfers to countries with adequate protection levels or requires appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.

Question 4

The Research Governance Framework in the UK requires that all research carried out within the NHS has:

Accepted Answer

Appropriate ethics approval and NHS/HSC R&D permission before it commences

Answer

Research in the NHS requires both ethics committee approval and NHS/HSC Research and Development permission before it can begin.

Question 5

A trainee healthcare scientist makes a clinical error that causes minor patient harm. What is the ethical obligation?

Accepted Answer

Disclose the error to the patient, report it through incident reporting, and reflect on learning

Answer

Openness and honesty (the 'duty of candour') requires that patients are told about errors that affect them, and incidents are formally reported for learning.

(STP) Scientist Training Programme Practice Test

(STP) Scientist Training Programme Practice Test

STP Professional Practice & Ethics 5