Medical Ethics Cases Flashcards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn4_4GBDSJ4
1
Q
Case 1
A
D
- Personal diagnoses are not to be divulged (Even to partners) against the patient’s will.
- Certain diseases must be reported to the CDC:
Hepatitis A, B, C;
HIV, AIDS;
Syphilis, gonorrhea;
MMR;
TB;
Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli;
Varicella;
Meningitis.
2
Q
Case 2
A
C
The first step in controversial, difficult situations is to attempt to understand the alternate party’s point of view.
3
Q
What are some basics regarding medical disputes over minors?
A
4
Q
Case 3
A
E
- As a parent, this patient is an emancipated minor that can consent to her own treatments and make her own decisions.
5
Q
Case 4
A
A
- The mother has full control and precedence over the child.
6
Q
Case 5
A
A
- HIPPA - “I am not allowed to say whether or not…”
7
Q
Case 6
A
D
- Gifts should always be refused.
8
Q
Case 7
A
B
- The physician failed to obtain informed consent.
No words were exchanged, no benefits or risks were explained, and no alternative options given.
- There were no damages due to a breach of duty; so, there is no case of negligence here.
9
Q
How would you describe the difference between medical negligence and battery?
A
10
Q
Case 8
A
A
- Res ipsa loquitor - Literally means ‘the thing speaks for itself.’
- Anything extremely obvious as your mistake and liability.
11
Q
Case 9
A
B
- The Good Samaritan Law protects HCPs that provide ‘reasonable intervention’ in an unexpected emergency outside usual medical practice in a clinic or hospital.
12
Q
Case 10
A
E
- All three parties are liable
13
Q
Case 11
A
C
- Autonomy trumps beneficence if the patient is competent.
- The religious beliefs are not the determining factor here; it is the patient’s decision that counts.
14
Q
Case 12
A
B
- Life-saving treatment overrides religious beliefs for children.
- Religious beliefs do not give parents the right to deny treatment to their child.
15
Q
Case 13
A
C
- Passive euthanasia is the allowance of a patient to make their own decision about your providing or withholding treatment.
- Active euthanasia is physician-assisted suicide - This is not allowed.
16
Q
Case 14
A
E
- The patient should always be in charge of the flow of information.
17
Q
Case 15
A
A
- The patient’s decisions override the family’s wishes.
18
Q
Case 16
A
A
- The spouse makes the call in the absence of a living will.
- If the spouse is unavailable and the adult children disagree, you go to the ethics committee.
- If the spouse is unavailable and the adult children agree, you follow the children’s wishes.
20
Q
Case 17
A
B
- The Good Samaritan Law allows for reasonable, life-saving measures while waiting for EMS to arrive.
- The patient is easily being unreasonable because we can assume the physician did nothing to stabilize the patient’s spine.
21
Q
Case 18
A
A
- Certain cases regarding minors (E.g. drugs, STDs, abortion) do not need to be reported to the patient’s parent(s).
22
Q
Case 19
A
B
- Assent is the non-legal affirmation that children must give.
- Minors have to assent to clinical trials.
- Consent is the legal affirmation that parents, legal guardians, and emancipated minors give.
23
Q
Case 20
A
A
- Strange case and this probably should not be asked by the student or physician, but if the family gives consent, then it is technically allowable.
24
Q
What is the difference between consent and assent?
A
- Assent is the non-legal affirmation that children must give.
- Consent is the legal affirmation that parents, legal guardians, and emancipated minors give.
25
Q
Case 21
A
E
- Brain death must be confirmed before removing mechanical ventilation.
- No brainstem reflexes (Pupillary or corneal - Must rule out other toxic causes) + neurologic exam.
26
Q
Case 22
A
A
- Physicians must arrange for someone else to cover their patients while they’re gone.
- It does not matter that the patient was non-compliant, the physician is still first in line for blame as he did not make alternate arrangements for the patient.
27
Q
Case 23
A
B
- The patient is clearly not competent to make decisions as she is deluded to her situation.
- Only a surrogate decision maker’s consent is needed.
28
Q
Case 24
A
B
- In almost every state, the genetic mother has the right to change her mind and keep the child, regardless of any signed contract.
29
Q
Case 25
A
D
- Impaired healthcare providers must ALWAYS be reported.
- You need to get someone else in to help as soon as possible.
- Allowing the intoxicated physician to assist or attempting the case alone are both inappropriate decisions.
30
Q
Case 26
A
D
- Living alone legally implies consent.
31
Q
Case 27
A
E
- Any sensitive work with a patient of the opposite sex is a time when a chaperone should be called.
32
Q
Case 28
A
E
- There is a moral obligation to tell the child as we do not know how capable the child is of understanding.
- However, there is no legal obligation.
33
Q
Case 29
A
D
- There is no binding legal obligation that arises from organ donor cards.
- The next-of-kin can refuse the donation unless there is some other living will involved (Which organ donor cards are not).
34
Q
Case 30
A
E
- The student has meningitis.
- Although he is contagious, the student cannot be held against his will.
- The CDC should be notified as this is a reportable disease, and the college needs to be notified that they have a contagious student on campus with a dangerous disease.
