Professional Practice Flashcards
Question ID #10049: To compare the impact of two or more interventions on patients’ duration and quality of life, you would conduct which of the following types of cost analysis?
Select one:
A.
Cost-utility
B.
Cost-effectiveness
C.
Cost-minimization
D.
Cost-benefit
The correct answer is A.
For the exam, you want to be familiar with the types of cost analysis described in the Ethics and Professional Issues chapter of the written study materials. A cost-utility analysis is conducted to compare the effects of two or more treatments on duration and quality of life.
Answer B: Cost-effectiveness analysis is used to compare the costs and benefits of different treatments in terms of specific nonmonetary outcomes (e.g., symptom severity, premature dropout rate) to identify the treatment that produces the best outcomes at the least cost.
Answer C: As its name implies, a cost-minimization analysis is conducted to determine the least costly option among several options.
Answer D: A cost-benefit analysis involves determining the relative costs and benefits of a particular treatment in monetary terms.
Question ID #12098: A psychologist is subpoenaed to testify at a deposition about a current therapy client. This means that the psychologist:
Select one:
A.
must testify about the client as requested.
B.
must appear at the deposition as requested.
C.
must provide the requested documents.
D.
can expect to receive a court order within 60 days.
The correct answer is B.
A subpoena is a legal document that requests the recipient to appear and testify in a legal proceeding. As noted by R. I. Simon (Clinical psychiatry and the law, Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Publishing, 2003), a subpoena by itself is not “proper legal compulsion” and only requires the psychologist to appear at a deposition or trial, not to testify. After receiving a subpoena, a psychologist should determine if the client has signed a release; if not, the psychologist should assert the privilege rather than provide the information requested in the subpoena when he/she appears at the deposition.
Answer A: In this scenario, the psychologist is legally required to appear but not to violate confidentiality.
Answer C: This is not true. If the prompt had read, “the psychologist was given a subpoena duces tecum”, it would refer to a subpoena to appear and bring specific records. Yet even then, unless given a court order, the psychologist can claim privilege on behalf of their client and withhold the records.
Answer D: This is not necessarily true.
Question ID #12678: A psychologist has received a subpoena duces tecum requesting that she testify in court about a former client and provide the court with records related to the client’s treatment. The psychologist does not have a release from the client to do so. She should:
Select one:
A.
appear in court and release the records as requested.
B.
appear in court but claim the privilege on behalf of the client.
C.
appear in court but release only those records she believes to be relevant to the case.
D.
refuse to appear in court until she obtains a release from the client.
The correct answer is B.
When a psychologist receives a subpoena to appear at a legal proceeding, he/she must appear but should not provide information about the client without a release from the client or a court order. The appropriate action in this case is to appear as requested but, without a release from the client, to assert the privilege on the client’s behalf.
Answer A: This would violate the client’s confidentiality.
Answer C: This would also be a violation of confidentiality.
Answer D: This is not the best answer as the psychologist would be violating a legal mandate to appear.
Question ID #12679: For a client to bring a claim of malpractice against his or her therapist, which of the following conditions is NOT necessary?
Select one:
A.
The therapist must have had a professional relationship with the client that established a legal duty of care.
B.
The harm or injury experienced by the client must be due to deliberate action or inaction on the part of the therapist.
C.
There is a demonstrable standard of care that the therapist has breached.
D.
The therapist’s breach of duty within the standard of care was the proximate cause of the harm or injury.
The correct answer is B.
For the exam, you want to be familiar with the four conditions for a claim of malpractice. Malpractice is addressed in the chapter on Ethics and Professional Practice in the written study materials. “Deliberate action or inaction on the part of the therapist” is not one of the four conditions for a claim of malpractice.
Answers A, C, and D: These are three of the conditions for a claim of malpractice.
Question ID #12712: The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is best described as:
Select one:
A.
a way to protect the public from incompetent psychologists.
B.
a measure of basic knowledge of psychology.
C.
a predictor of job performance as a psychologist.
D.
a way of determining if psychologists need additional training before being licensed.
The correct answer is B.
The EPPP is a requirement for licensure in the United States and Canada. As described by the ASPPB, the EPPP is designed “to evaluate the knowledge that should have been acquired by any candidate who is seeking licensure to practice psychology.”
Answer A: The exam does not provide this security.
Answers C and D: The exam has not been validated as a predictor of actual job performance or as a method for determining the need for additional training.
Question ID #12713: The primary purpose of the state and provincial licensing boards is to:
Select one:
A.
protect the profession of psychology.
B.
protect the public.
C.
define ethical standards of conduct.
D.
define standards of care.
The correct answer is B.
The primary purpose of the licensing boards is to protect the public. To achieve this goal, the boards establish minimum standards of competence for psychologists including degree, supervision, and examination requirements.
Answer A: This is a secondary purpose.
Answer C: This is not the reason boards exist.
Answer D: While boards may engage in this task, it is not the reason that boards exist.
Question ID #12715: Research by Lamb and Catanzaro (1998) on sexual misconduct by psychotherapists found that:
Select one:
A.
therapists who had sex with their clients often had sexual relations in the past with their own therapist, a professor, or supervisor.
B.
therapists who had sex with their clients were more likely than those who did not to have been involved in nonsexual dual relationships with clients.
C.
therapists who had sex with their clients were, in general, less experienced and younger than those who did not.
D.
there were no consistent differences between therapists who did and did not have sex with their clients in terms of other dual relationships or sexual relations with their own therapist, professor, or supervisor.
The correct answer is B.
The studies have found some differences in the characteristics of therapists who do and do not become sexually involved with clients. The results of this research are summarized in the Ethics and Professional Issues chapter of the written study materials. Lamb and Catanzaro (1998) looked specifically at sexual and nonsexual boundary violations of psychotherapists and found that those reporting sexual boundary violations were also more likely to report nonsexual boundary violations and to rate nonsexual boundary violations as less negative or problematic than those who did not report sexual boundary violations.
Answers A, C, and D: None of these statements is supported by the findings of Lamb and Catanzaro’s study.
Question ID #13486: To serve as an expert witness in a court case, you:
Select one:
A.
must have the consent of the person you will be testifying about.
B.
must testify only with regard to what you have personally observed.
C.
must be qualified by the court to offer opinions and conclusions.
D.
must be qualified by the attorneys for the plaintiff and defendant to offer opinions and conclusions.
The correct answer is C.
An expert witness is allowed to draw conclusions from available data, even if the data were not personally observed or obtained. Expert witnesses are qualified by the court to offer opinions and conclusions.
Answer A: This is not required.
Answer B: This limitation is not imposed.
Answer D: Expert witnesses are qualified by the court.
