ABPS Ethics & Professional Standards in Plastic Surgery 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A plastic surgeon is approached by a medical device company offering significant consulting fees in exchange for exclusively using their implants. What is the most ethically appropriate response?
- Accept the arrangement if the implants are FDA-approved
- Decline unless the financial relationship is disclosed to patients and the institution (Correct answer)
- Accept only if the fees are below $10,000 annually
- Decline only if competitors offer equivalent products
Correct answer: Decline unless the financial relationship is disclosed to patients and the institution
Financial relationships with industry must be disclosed to patients and the institution to avoid conflicts of interest that could compromise patient care.
Question 2: A patient requests a rhinoplasty but has body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). According to ABPS ethical standards, the surgeon should:
- Proceed if the patient signs an informed consent
- Refer the patient for psychiatric evaluation before considering surgery (Correct answer)
- Perform a limited procedure to partially satisfy the patient
- Decline surgery only if BDD is formally diagnosed
Correct answer: Refer the patient for psychiatric evaluation before considering surgery
BDD is a contraindication to elective aesthetic surgery, and patients should be referred for psychiatric evaluation because surgery typically worsens BDD outcomes.
Question 3: When a plastic surgeon advertises on social media, which practice violates ABPS ethical advertising standards?
- Posting before-and-after photos with patient consent
- Guaranteeing specific aesthetic outcomes in promotional content (Correct answer)
- Listing board certification credentials
- Describing general procedural techniques
Correct answer: Guaranteeing specific aesthetic outcomes in promotional content
Guaranteeing outcomes in advertising is unethical because surgical results are inherently variable and such claims mislead prospective patients.
Question 4: A colleague performing aesthetic procedures is not board-certified and is marketing themselves as a 'plastic surgery specialist.' A plastic surgeon's ethical obligation is to:
- Ignore it as a competitive business matter
- Report the misleading credential claims to the appropriate medical board (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly on social media
- Only act if patients file formal complaints
Correct answer: Report the misleading credential claims to the appropriate medical board
Physicians have a professional obligation to report misleading credentialing claims to protect patients from unqualified practitioners.
Question 5: A plastic surgeon discovers an intraoperative complication caused by their own error. The most ethical course of action after managing the complication is to:
- Document it in the chart without discussing it with the patient if the outcome is good
- Disclose the error to the patient and explain its management (Correct answer)
- Consult risk management before speaking with the patient
- Only disclose if the error results in permanent harm
Correct answer: Disclose the error to the patient and explain its management
Full disclosure of medical errors to patients is an ethical obligation regardless of outcome, supporting patient autonomy and trust.
Question 6: Under the ABPS Code of Ethics, a surgeon who performs procedures clearly outside their scope of training should:
- Obtain informed consent specifically addressing their limited experience
- Refrain from performing those procedures until adequate training is completed (Correct answer)
- Supervise a more experienced colleague performing the procedure
- Perform the procedure only in an accredited facility
Correct answer: Refrain from performing those procedures until adequate training is completed
Performing procedures outside one's scope of competence is unethical; surgeons must obtain proper training before offering such services.
Question 7: A plastic surgeon is asked to provide expert witness testimony in a malpractice case. According to professional ethics, the surgeon must:
- Advocate for whichever side hired them
- Provide honest, objective testimony based on accepted standards of care (Correct answer)
- Decline to testify against fellow plastic surgeons
- Only testify if they have personal knowledge of the case
Correct answer: Provide honest, objective testimony based on accepted standards of care
Expert witnesses have an ethical duty to provide truthful, objective testimony reflecting the standard of care, regardless of which party retained them.
ABPS Ethics & Professional Standards in Plastic Surgery 2
A plastic surgeon is approached by a medical device company offering significant consulting fees in exchange for exclusively using their implants.
What is the most ethically appropriate response?