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Professional Ethics & Communication Flashcards

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

Read the first 7 Professional Ethics & Communication flashcards as text

  1. A patient refuses to consent to treatment after being fully informed of the risks. What is the EMT's legal and ethical obligation?

    Answer: Contact medical direction and document the refusal thoroughly

    A competent adult has the right to refuse care, and EMTs must document the refusal, ensure the patient is informed of consequences, and contact medical direction.

  2. When transferring care to hospital staff, which communication method is most effective for ensuring patient safety?

    Answer: SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation)

    SBAR provides a structured, standardized handoff format that reduces errors and ensures critical patient information is communicated clearly.

  3. An EMT witnesses a partner falsifying patient care reports. What is the appropriate first action?

    Answer: Report the behavior to a supervisor or through the proper chain of command

    Falsifying medical records is illegal and unethical; EMTs have a professional duty to report such conduct through proper channels.

  4. Which principle of EMS ethics refers to the duty to act in the patient's best interest?

    Answer: Beneficence

    Beneficence is the ethical principle of acting to benefit the patient and promote their well-being.

  5. A patient is unconscious and no family is present. Under which doctrine can an EMT provide emergency care without explicit consent?

    Answer: Implied consent

    Implied consent assumes that an unconscious or incapacitated patient would consent to life-saving treatment if they were able to communicate.

  6. Which behavior best demonstrates professional empathy during patient care?

    Answer: Acknowledging the patient's feelings while maintaining clinical focus

    Professional empathy involves recognizing and validating a patient's emotional state while keeping care on track.

  7. An EMT uses social media to post about an interesting call, omitting the patient's name but including location and injury details. This is:

    Answer: A HIPAA violation because the patient may still be identifiable

    HIPAA protects all individually identifiable health information; details like location and injury type can re-identify a patient even without a name.