Question 1

According to Beauchamp and Childress, codes of medical ethics have traditionally ignored obligations and virtues of veracity.

Accepted Answer

Beauchamp and Childress have noted that traditional medical ethics often focused more on beneficence and non-maleficence, sometimes neglecting the importance of truth-telling or veracity in the physician-patient relationship.

Question 2

Veracity is absolutely binding as a moral principle; physicians should always be truthful with their patients about their health.

Accepted Answer

While veracity is a crucial ethical principle in medicine, emphasizing the importance of truthfulness, there are complex situations where complete transparency might be carefully managed or temporarily withheld to respect patient autonomy, prevent harm, or manage psychological impacts, reflecting a balance with other ethical principles like beneficence and non-maleficence.

Question 3

Physicians ought to take into account patients' cultural backgrounds when determining how much information about a patient's health to disclose, including consulting with family members without a patient's consent in certain cases.

Accepted Answer

Physicians are generally required to respect patient confidentiality and obtain consent before sharing health information, even with family members, unless there are specific legal or ethical exceptions.

Question 4

According to Beauchamp and Childress, a choice not to know information about one's diagnosis or prognosis can be as autonomous and worthy of respect as a choice to know.

Accepted Answer

Beauchamp and Childress, in their principles of biomedical ethics, emphasize respect for autonomy, which includes respecting a patient's decision not to know their medical information as much as a decision to be fully informed.

Question 5

When a medical error has been made, disclosure to the patient and family members about the error may be the best policy for reducing the likelihood of malpractice suits.

Accepted Answer

Disclosing medical errors to patients and their families can build trust, demonstrate accountability, and often reduce the likelihood of malpractice suits, as patients may appreciate the honesty and transparency of the healthcare provider.

Question 6

Privacy is a matter of an agent's control over access to himself or herself.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Privacy is a matter of an agent's...

Question 7

Concerns about privacy have to do not only with information about a person but also with bodily products and objects intimately associated with the person, as well as that person's intimate relationships.

Accepted Answer

Privacy concerns encompass not only personal information but also extend to bodily products, objects closely linked to the individual, and aspects of their intimate relationships, reflecting a broad understanding of what constitutes personal privacy.

Question 8

Breaching confidentiality for the sake of mitigating harm to a patient or to a third party can sometimes be justified.

Accepted Answer

In certain circumstances, such as when there is a risk of harm to the patient or others, healthcare professionals may be justified in breaching confidentiality to prevent harm, in line with ethical guidelines and legal requirements.

Question 9

Patients recognize that physicians have a common practice of informally discussing cases to receive second opinions, but they normally do not expect their cases to be discussed in medical journals, at parties, or with spouses or friends.

Accepted Answer

Patients generally understand and accept that physicians may discuss their cases informally with colleagues for second opinions or advice. However, they typically do not anticipate that their cases will be shared in more public or informal settings such as medical journals, social gatherings, or with the physician's personal acquaintances, as these situations could compromise their privacy and confidentiality.

Question 10

Generally, physicians and genetic counselors should err on the side of informing a patient's relatives about possible genetic diseases they may share with the patient, even if the patient does not consent to the disclosure.

Accepted Answer

Physicians and genetic counselors are bound by confidentiality and cannot disclose a patient's genetic information to relatives without the patient's consent, except under very specific circumstances where there is a significant risk of serious harm that could be mitigated by such disclosure.

Question 11

Obligations of fidelity can be different in research ethics and clinical ethics, but trustworthiness and loyalty are morally central virtues in both areas of biomedical ethics.

Accepted Answer

In both research ethics and clinical ethics, trustworthiness and loyalty are fundamental virtues because they underpin the moral obligations professionals have towards their subjects or patients, despite the different contexts and specific obligations of fidelity in each area.

Question 12

Physicians' obligations of fidelity to patients require that physicians care for all people affected by an epidemic disease.

Accepted Answer

Physicians' primary obligation of fidelity is to their patients, meaning they have a duty to care for their patients above others. While they may have a broader ethical obligation to contribute to controlling an epidemic, their primary duty is to those under their direct care.

Question 13

The ethical justification of randomized clinical trials hinges upon whether informed consent has been given by all trial subjects.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ethical justification of randomized clinical trials...

Question 14

The code of the American Nurses' Association currently stresses nurses' obligations to clients and their obligations to safeguard clients and the public from unethical practices.

Accepted Answer

The American Nurses' Association (ANA) Code of Ethics emphasizes the responsibility of nurses not only to their clients but also to take actions to protect clients and the public from unethical, incompetent, or illegal practices by any member of the healthcare team or the healthcare system.

Question 15

________ in health care refers to accurate, timely, objective, and comprehensive transmission of information, as well as to the way the professional fosters the patient's or subject's understanding.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ in health care refers to accurate,...

Question 16

According to Beauchamp and Childress, _________ involves intentionally leading, or attempting to lead, someone to believe what is false, while lying seeks the same aim through statements.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Beauchamp and Childress, _________ involves...

Question 17

Disclosure of medical information over time, with sensitivity to the patient's relevant welfare interests, is called a _______ disclosure by Beauchamp and Childress.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Disclosure of medical information over time, with...

Question 18

Forms of privacy that involve limited access to a person include informational, physical, _______, proprietary, and relational privacy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Forms of privacy that involve limited access...

Question 19

__________ approaches justify rules of privacy according to their instrumental value for such ends as personal development, creating and maintaining social relations, and expressing personal freedom.

Accepted Answer

The answer of __________ approaches justify rules of privacy according...

Question 20

Beauchamp and Childress argue that rules of privacy are best justified with reference to the principle of __________, in the sense of deferring to persons' wishes not to be observed, touched, intruded upon, and so forth.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Beauchamp and Childress argue that rules of...

Quiz 8: Professional-Patient Relationships