Ethics, Professionalism, Patient Safety and Health Law
Ethics, Professionalism, Patient Safety and Health Law tests consent, error disclosure, quality improvement, communication, and Iranian medical regulations. The exam expects principled reasoning, not slogans.
Core rules
- Informed consent: capacity, disclosure of risks, benefits, alternatives, and consequences of refusal; voluntariness; documentation. Emergency exception when immediate treatment is life-saving and no surrogate is available.
- Medical error: disclose harm honestly, apologize, explain, and report; root cause analysis examines systems, not individual blame.
- Quality improvement: PDSA cycles, checklists, morbidity and mortality conferences, and safe handoffs (SBAR).
- Communication: SPIKES for bad news; use an interpreter for language barriers; confidentiality with limited legal exceptions.
- Iranian regulations: practice under the Medical Council (سازمان نظام پزشکی), maintain licensure, and obey reporting and malpractice rules; verify current requirements.
Worked example: A patient refuses a necessary operation after a clear explanation. Reasoning: assess capacity; if capacitated, respect refusal even if risky, document the discussion, and offer alternatives. Do not obtain consent from a relative without legal authority.
Traps: treating a signed form as consent; hiding an error; breaching confidentiality without a legal basis; assuming a family member can consent for an adult with capacity.