UTC Professional Ethics & Communication 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient refuses to have a male sonographer perform a pelvic ultrasound for cultural reasons. The most appropriate response is to:
- Explain that staff assignments cannot be changed
- Accommodate the request whenever clinically and logistically possible (Correct answer)
- Cancel the examination and reschedule
- Proceed with the exam and document the refusal
Correct answer: Accommodate the request whenever clinically and logistically possible
Respecting cultural preferences is part of patient-centered care and should be accommodated when staffing allows.
Question 2: Under HIPAA, a sonographer may share protected health information (PHI) without patient authorization in all of the following situations EXCEPT:
- Treatment purposes with another treating provider
- Mandatory public health reporting
- A family member's curiosity about the patient's diagnosis (Correct answer)
- Court-ordered legal proceedings
Correct answer: A family member's curiosity about the patient's diagnosis
HIPAA does not permit disclosing PHI to family members out of curiosity without the patient's explicit authorization.
Question 3: Which term describes the ethical obligation to treat all patients fairly and distribute healthcare resources equitably?
- Veracity
- Fidelity
- Justice (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Justice
Justice in healthcare ethics refers to fair treatment and equitable distribution of resources and services among all patients.
Question 4: A sonographer working in a private practice setting is asked by the owner to perform scans on patients without a physician order to increase revenue. The technologist should:
- Comply since the owner sets policy
- Perform only basic screening exams without an order
- Decline and report the practice to appropriate regulatory authorities if it continues (Correct answer)
- Ask each patient to sign a waiver before scanning
Correct answer: Decline and report the practice to appropriate regulatory authorities if it continues
Performing diagnostic ultrasound without a physician order violates scope of practice and must be refused and reported if it persists.
Question 5: When providing post-procedure instructions to a patient who speaks limited English, the sonographer should ideally:
- Speak slower and louder in English
- Use a certified medical interpreter or translation service (Correct answer)
- Have a bilingual family member interpret
- Provide only written English instructions
Correct answer: Use a certified medical interpreter or translation service
Certified medical interpreters ensure accurate, confidential, and professional communication with limited-English-proficiency patients.
Question 6: Maintaining professional boundaries in the sonographer-patient relationship means:
- Avoiding all verbal interaction with patients during scans
- Not forming friendships with patients outside the clinical setting (Correct answer)
- Limiting scan time to reduce patient exposure
- Using only technical language to remain neutral
Correct answer: Not forming friendships with patients outside the clinical setting
Professional boundaries require that personal relationships with patients be kept separate from the clinical interaction to preserve objectivity and trust.
Question 7: A sonographer who witnesses a coworker violating patient confidentiality is ethically obligated to:
- Ignore it if the coworker is a friend
- Address it directly or report it through proper institutional channels (Correct answer)
- Document it in the patient's chart
- Immediately contact the patient to apologize
Correct answer: Address it directly or report it through proper institutional channels
Professional ethics require that confidentiality violations be addressed either directly with the colleague or escalated through appropriate institutional mechanisms.
UTC Professional Ethics & Communication 3
A patient refuses to have a male sonographer perform a pelvic ultrasound for cultural reasons.
The most appropriate response is to: