Medical Ethics Flashcards
Bioethics definitions
- Truth-telling and advocating for your patients, even when you don’t always agree with their choices
- Act consistently and dutifully for our patient’s welfare and best interests
What must be do in regards to bioethics
- Evaluate own values
- Separate moral values and principles
First major text on clinical bioethics
Principles of biomedical ethics (1971)
4 principles of medical ethics
- Autonomy
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Justice
What is autonnomy?
Self-rule
- The right to make own decisions and choices
What is beneficence?
Act in patient’s best interests
What is nonmalificence?
Do no harm
What is justice?
Fair distribution of resources, risks, costs, standards of care
The 4 principles of medical ethics are included in what AAPA document?
The Guidelines for Ethical Conduct for the PA profession
What model did Jonsen, Siegler, and Winslade create?
“4 topics” decision-making model
What are the 4 topics of the Jonsen, Siegler, Winslade model?
- Medical indications
- Patient preferences
- QOL
- Contextual features
Which of the 4 principles come into play in medical indications? (2)
Beneficence & nonmaleficence
Which of the 4 principles come into play in patient preferences? (1)
Autonomy
Which of the 4 principles come into play in QOL? (3)
Autonomy, beneficence & nonmaleficence
Which of the 4 principles come into play in contextual features?
Justice
Maintaining/assessing skills & competence
- National cert & recert
- CME
- Guidelines for Ethical Conduct for the PA profession
PAs should not do what in regards to skills and competence?
Perform/provide services that they are not trained in or competent with
PA-patient relationship
- Mutual respect
- Ethical obligation to see that each patient receives appropriate care
- Sensitive to patient beliefs & expectations
- Principles of beneficence & autonomy
- Respect diversity, avoid discrimination
- Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
- Informed consent
- Maintain confidentiality/HIPAA and accurate medical records
- Report errors
What is a conflict of interest?
A situation in which a person is or appears to be at risk of acting in a biased way because of personal interests
What are 3 types of conflicts of interest?
- Financial
- Personal
- Professional
What is informed consent?
A process of communication between a patient and physician that results in the patient’s authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention
How do we obtain informed consent?
- Complete & current information about the condition or diagnosis, treatment or procedure
- Discussion of risks, benefits, and alternative as well as non-treatment options
- Opportunity for patients to fully participate in decision/ask questions
Informed consent needs to be documented prior to
- Surgical procedure or administering anesthesia
- Radiation or chemotherapy
- Blood transfusion
- Inserting a surgical device or appliance
- Using an experimental med, device, or an approved device for an experimental reason
Per HIPAA, patients have a right to what
- Access their own medical records
- Request medical records be corrected when errors are found
- Request that personal health information not be shared with other health care providers even if health care related
