Ethics, Safety & Professional Practice Flashcards
7 cards from real AK practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics, Safety & Professional Practice flashcards as text
A client presents with a suspected spinal fracture after a fall. What is the AK practitioner's MOST appropriate immediate action?
Answer: Refer the client to emergency medical services immediately
Suspected fractures are a medical emergency requiring immediate referral to emergency services rather than AK assessment.
Which documentation practice best protects an AK practitioner from liability in the event of a patient complaint?
Answer: Documenting informed consent, findings, and treatment plans contemporaneously
Contemporaneous documentation of consent, clinical findings, and treatment plans is the gold standard for liability protection.
An AK practitioner discovers a patient has been seeing another provider for the same complaint without disclosing this. What should the practitioner do?
Answer: Discuss the importance of coordinated care and update the treatment plan accordingly
Open discussion about concurrent care supports coordinated, safe treatment and respects the patient's autonomy.
Which of the following best describes the principle of 'do no harm' (non-maleficence) in AK practice?
Answer: Selecting interventions whose expected benefits outweigh potential risks
Non-maleficence requires practitioners to weigh expected benefits against potential risks when selecting interventions.
A patient asks an AK practitioner to guarantee that treatment will cure their chronic fatigue. The ethical response is to:
Answer: Explain that outcomes cannot be guaranteed and discuss realistic expectations
Ethical practice requires honest communication about realistic treatment expectations without making guarantees.
When is it ethically permissible for an AK practitioner to share a patient's health information with a third party without explicit consent?
Answer: When required by law, such as mandatory reporting of child abuse
Legal obligations such as mandatory abuse reporting are recognized exceptions to patient confidentiality.
A practitioner notices a patient is showing signs of an adverse reaction to a nutritional supplement they prescribed. What is the FIRST step?
Answer: Discontinue the supplement and document the adverse reaction
Patient safety requires stopping the suspect supplement immediately and documenting the adverse event.