Intro to Medical Ethics
Written codes of ethics for health care practitioners:
a. Evolved primarily to serve as moral guidelines for those who provided care to the sick
b. Are legally binding
c. Did not exist in ancient times
e. None of these
What is another term for your personal concept of right and wrong?
a. Utilitarianism
b. Beneficence
c. Moral values
d. Role fidelity
Which of the following is mandatory for certain health professionals to practice in their field?
a. Endorsements
b. Reciprocity
c. Licensure
d. Certification
Substantive law
a. Defines the legal relationships between people or between people and the state
b. Is never written down
c. Is a type of common law
d. Is created solely by executive order
What is the basis for most medical malpractice claims?
a. Practicing medicine without a license
b. Missed diagnoses
c. Negligence
d. Assault
Which Greek physician is known as the Founder of Medicine?
a. Hippocrates
b. Percival
c. Hammurabi
d. Socrates
How is Abraham Maslow’s theory of needs-based motivation best defined?
a. It is a five-step progression that sees pleasure as the primary motivation for all human behavior.
b. It is a progression called beneficence.
c. It is a theory that says human behavior is based on specific human needs that must often be met in a specific order.
d. It is a system of moral values.
Which of the following processes lets licensed health care practitioners transfer their license to a new state after moving without repeating an examination?
a. Accreditation
b. Registration
c. Certification
d. Reciprocity
What is a tortfeasor?
a. It is the attorney who represents a client in civil court.
b. It is a person who commits a felony.
c. It is the person who commits a tort.
d. It refers to a court’s specific jurisdiction.
According to the reasonable person standard as discussed in this chapter, in which of the following situations might a person be charged with negligence?
a. A woman is injured when she steps in front of a car, and no one prevents the accident.
b. A bystander does not intervene when a man with a gun robs another person on the street.
c. A nurse fails to document her administration of a patient’s medicine, and another nurse unknowingly administers a second dose, which constitutes an injurious overdose for the patient.
d. A motorist stops to aid victims of a car accident.
Unethical behavior is always
a. Illegal
b. Punishable by legal means
c. Unacceptable
d. None of these
Which of the following best defines duty-oriented moral reasoning?
a. Each individual’s duty is to oneself first.
b. Everyone should reject the authority of others and rely solely on self.
c. It is a decision-making theory that states that the rightness or wrongness of the act depends on its intrinsic nature and not the outcome of the act.
d. It is a form of post-conventional morality.
Which of the following is not true of accrediting agencies?
a. They survey and evaluate the program or facility applying for accreditation.
b. They never charge a fee.
c. They exist for a wide range of health care entities.
d. They check for continuing adherence to professional standards.
If a physician examines a patient without consent, the physician could be charged with which of the following offenses?
a. Breach of contract
b. Kidnapping
c. Battery
d. Defamation of character
A lab technician fails to use an alcohol swab on the draw site before drawing blood from a patient. However, the technician uses all other standards of care when drawing the blood. To what standard of care could the lab technician be held?
a. Any reasonable person
b. A nurse
c. Any lab technician
d. A physician
Law is
a. The minimum standard necessary to keep society functioning smoothly
b. Ignored if transgressions are ethical, rather than legal
c. Seldom enforced by controlling authorities
d. None of these
Which of the following best defines utilitarianism?
a. It is the same as pre-conventional morality.
b. It is a consequence-oriented theory that states that decisions should be made by determining what results will produce the best outcome for the most people.
c. It is a duty-oriented theory that says everyone has a duty to behave correctly.
d. It is a consequence-oriented theory that states that each individual should make decisions based on which outcome is best for oneself.
Which of the following is not a purpose of practice acts?
a. To define what is meant by the practice of a specific health care profession in each state
b. To be sure health care professionals are adequately compensated for their services
c. To explain requirements and methods for licensure
d. To establish grounds for suspension or revocation of license
Jurisdiction refers to
a. The city in which a felony occurs
b. The fines levied for civil offenses
c. Crimes against people
d. The court that has the authority to hear and decide a case
Which of the following statements is true of standard of care?
a. Titles are not important if appropriate care is administered.
b. If a certified nursing assistant is able to perform the duties of a nurse, he or she should be legally and ethically allowed to use the title “nurse.”
c. If one uses the title “nurse,” one can be held to the standard of care of a nurse.
d. Standard of care has no legal implications.
What is bioethics concerned with?
a. Health care law
b. Etiquette in medical facilities
c. The ethical implications of biological research methods and results
d. None of these
Teleological or consequence-oriented theories judge the rightness of a decision based on
a. The feelings of the person making the decision
b. The opinions of others who see the results of the decision
c. How many people agree that the decision was right
d. The outcome or predicted outcome of the decision
Which of the following best defines a managed care health plan?
a. Preferred provider organization
b. A corporation that pays for and delivers care to subscribers
c. A sole proprietorship
d. A group practice
Define tort.
a. A tort is a specific type of felony.
b. A tort is a civil wrong committed against a person or property.
c. Tort is another term for breach of contract.
d. A tort is none of these.
A patient falls on a hospital’s slippery tile floor and injures herself. Assuming that patient safety procedures were lax, what undesirable occurrence could result for the hospital?
a. The patient could leave without paying his or her bill.
b. The patient could become angry and refuse further treatment.
c. The patient could sue the hospital.
d. The patient could decide never to use the hospital’s services again.