Medical Ethics & Professionalism Flashcards
6 cards from real DHA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Medical Ethics & Professionalism flashcards as text
A competent adult Muslim patient refuses a life-saving blood transfusion citing religious beliefs. The patient is fully informed of the risks. What is the ethical and legal obligation of the physician?
Answer: Respect the refusal, document thoroughly, and provide the best alternative care possible
Respecting patient autonomy means honoring a competent, informed adult's refusal of treatment, even life-saving treatment. The physician must document the informed refusal, explore alternatives (cell salvage, erythropoietin, etc.), and provide ongoing care. UAE law and medical ethics both support this.
A physician discovers during a consultation that a patient's husband, who is also his patient, has a sexually transmitted infection. The wife is at risk but the husband refuses to disclose. What is the most appropriate course of action?
Answer: Counsel the husband on his ethical duty to disclose, offer resources, and consider whether the risk meets the threshold for overriding confidentiality
This involves a conflict between confidentiality and duty to protect a third party. The physician should first strongly counsel the husband to disclose. If the risk is serious and imminent (e.g., HIV), the physician may need to breach confidentiality to protect the wife — following applicable legal and ethical guidelines with minimum necessary disclosure.
Which of the following best describes the principle of 'non-maleficence' in medical ethics?
Answer: Avoiding or minimizing harm to patients
Non-maleficence ('do no harm') is one of the four pillars of medical ethics (Beauchamp and Childress). It obligates physicians to avoid causing unnecessary harm. This must be balanced against beneficence (doing good), as many treatments carry risks alongside benefits.
A pharmaceutical company offers a physician an all-expenses-paid trip to a medical conference in exchange for preferentially prescribing their drug. This constitutes:
Answer: A conflict of interest and potentially corrupt practice violating DHA Code of Conduct
Accepting travel/accommodation from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing their products is a conflict of interest that compromises professional integrity and patient care. It violates DHA Code of Professional Conduct and may constitute corruption under UAE law.
When is it ethically permissible for a physician to break patient confidentiality without consent?
Answer: When required by law (notifiable diseases, court order) or when serious, imminent harm to identifiable third parties cannot otherwise be prevented
Patient confidentiality may be broken without consent when: (1) legally required (mandatory reportable diseases, court orders, child protection laws), (2) serious and imminent harm to an identifiable third party exists that cannot be prevented otherwise, or (3) the patient lacks capacity and disclosure is in their best interest.
A 16-year-old patient presents requesting contraceptive counseling without parental knowledge. Under UAE law and medical ethics, how should the physician proceed?
Answer: Provide counseling and treatment maintaining confidentiality, following UAE laws on minor consent and welfare
The approach to minors and contraception involves balancing confidentiality, welfare, and legal capacity. In UAE, providers should assess maturity, apply welfare-based decisions, and generally maintain confidentiality unless the minor is at risk of harm. UAE law and DHA guidelines govern minor consent — the physician should provide appropriate counseling in the best interest of the young patient.