Professional Practice, Ethics and Patient Safety
What you must understand
Know consent (informed, voluntary, capacity-based), confidentiality, documentation standards, scope of practice, and referral pathways. Understand the principles of biomedical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Be familiar with incident reporting, infection control, manual handling, and duty of care. Recognise the difference between negligence (breach of duty causing harm) and a poor outcome. Understand mandatory reporting and how to manage a patient who declines recommended care.
Traps in questions
- Assuming a competent adult's refusal can be overridden by family wishes.
- Breaching confidentiality in public or shared spaces.
- Treating a patient outside your competence or scope without supervision.
- Failing to document a refusal or an incident.
Rule of thumb
When an ethics question appears, identify the principle at stake first. If a competent adult refuses care, respect autonomy after ensuring they understand risks, and document the discussion. If unsure of scope, escalate to a supervisor.
Worked example
A patient refuses mobilisation after surgery despite explanation. Best answer: respect the refusal, ensure understanding of risks, offer alternatives, document, and inform the team. Do not proceed against their wishes.