Ethical and Legal Principles Flashcards
7 cards from real CPC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethical and Legal Principles flashcards as text
When a community paramedic disagrees with a patient's lifestyle choices that are contributing to their chronic illness, the ethical obligation is to:
Answer: Provide non-judgmental care and education while respecting the patient's autonomy
Non-maleficence and respect for autonomy require providing care without judgment while offering education in a respectful manner.
A community paramedic suspects a colleague is practicing while impaired by alcohol. The most appropriate initial action is to:
Answer: Remove the colleague from patient contact and report the concern to a supervisor immediately
Patient safety requires immediate removal of the impaired provider from patient contact and prompt reporting to supervisory authority.
Which of the following statements about implied consent is correct in the context of community paramedicine?
Answer: Implied consent applies when an unconscious patient is unable to provide express consent and a reasonable person would want treatment
Implied consent applies in emergencies where an unconscious or incapacitated patient cannot consent and a reasonable person in their position would want care.
A patient experiencing a mental health crisis has a Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD). How should a community paramedic treat this document?
Answer: Respect it as the patient's pre-expressed preferences and incorporate it into care decisions
A PAD represents the patient's autonomous decisions made while competent and should be respected in care planning during a crisis.
The ethical concept most directly applicable when a community paramedic advocates for a patient to receive a specialist referral they cannot afford is:
Answer: Beneficence — acting in the patient's best interest
Advocating for a patient's health needs reflects beneficence, the duty to act in the patient's best interest.
A patient's Health Care Proxy (HCP) makes a decision that the community paramedic believes is not in the patient's best interest. The paramedic should:
Answer: Follow the HCP's decision while documenting concerns and consulting medical direction if needed
A legally appointed HCP has decision-making authority; the paramedic should follow their directive while raising concerns through proper channels.
Which of the following constitutes an intentional tort that a community paramedic could commit?
Answer: Transporting a patient against their will without legal justification
Transporting a patient against their will without legal justification constitutes the intentional tort of false imprisonment.