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Legal & Ethical Considerations Flashcards

7 cards from real BLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Legal & Ethical Considerations flashcards as text

  1. During a mass casualty event, a BLS provider must choose which patients to treat first with limited resources. This reflects which ethical principle?

    Answer: Justice

    Justice requires fair allocation of limited resources, which is the foundation of triage systems in mass casualty events.

  2. A 17-year-old minor seeks BLS treatment after a witnessed collapse at a mall. Legally, treatment should be:

    Answer: Provided under implied consent due to the life-threatening emergency

    Life-threatening emergencies involving minors are covered by implied consent when a parent is unavailable.

  3. A BLS provider at a community event finds a victim unresponsive with no pulse and a prominent tattoo reading 'DNR.' How should the provider respond?

    Answer: Begin CPR because a tattoo is not a legally recognized DNR order

    Tattoos are not legally recognized DNR documents; without a valid written order, BLS providers should initiate CPR.

  4. The principle of 'beneficence' in BLS ethics requires providers to:

    Answer: Actively promote the patient's well-being and best interests

    Beneficence obligates providers to take positive actions that benefit the patient and promote their welfare.

  5. Which statement about advance directives and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is MOST accurate?

    Answer: Valid advance directives must be honored by EMS if properly presented

    EMS providers must honor properly executed and presented advance directives, including out-of-hospital DNR orders.

  6. A rescuer is concerned about contracting a disease while performing mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing. Ethically, the rescuer should know that:

    Answer: Barrier devices and chest-compression-only CPR can reduce but not eliminate risk

    Compression-only CPR and barrier devices are reasonable alternatives that reduce infection risk while still providing effective resuscitation.

  7. A competent adult refuses CPR after being found pulseless and unresponsive. Which scenario makes refusal legally problematic?

    Answer: The patient is currently unconscious and cannot express a current wish

    Refusal requires current decisional capacity; an unconscious patient cannot exercise real-time refusal, making implied consent applicable.