Professional, Legal, Ethical and Communication Standards, Including Cultural Safety
Consent, capacity, and confidentiality
Valid consent requires capacity, adequate information, and voluntariness, and it is specific to the procedure. For minors, understand who can consent and when mature-minor principles apply. Confidentiality is a duty with limited, lawful exceptions such as risk of serious harm or legal compulsion. Traps include accepting a signature as proof of informed consent without evidence of discussion, and disclosing information to a family member without the patient's permission.
Duty of care and professional boundaries
You must practise within competence, maintain competence, and act on impairment or unsafe practice. Ethical frameworks emphasise autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and veracity. Boundary violations, dual relationships, and social media breaches are common exam scenarios.
Communication that works
Use plain language, teach-back, interpreters where needed, and shared decision-making. Document what was discussed and the patient's response.
Cultural safety and health equity
Cultural safety moves beyond cultural awareness: the patient judges whether care is safe and respectful. Understand the impact of colonisation, racism, and mistrust on access and outcomes, particularly for Indigenous peoples. Practise cultural humility, self-reflection, and partnership, and adapt communication to language, kinship, and decision-making norms.
Worked rule of thumb
When a scenario involves disclosure or a refusal, ask: does the patient have capacity, has the information been given, and does an exception genuinely apply? If any answer is unclear, seek advice before acting.
Complaints and reflection
Open disclosure after an adverse event, honest documentation, and reflective learning are expected professional behaviours.