Professional Ethics, Patient Safety, and Medico-Legal Aspects
Professional Ethics, Patient Safety, and Medico-Legal Aspects
This domain tests consent, capacity, confidentiality, documentation, negligence, and safety systems in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The exam expects defensible, patient-centered decisions.
Core rules
- Valid informed consent requires capacity, adequate information, understanding, and voluntariness; document the discussion.
- A competent adult may refuse treatment, including treatment that clinicians recommend.
- Negligence requires duty, breach of standard, causation, and damages; all four must be shown.
- Maintain accurate contemporaneous records; never alter records retrospectively.
- Disclose harmful errors honestly and report adverse events through the appropriate safety system.
Worked example
A retained root is discovered after extraction. Reasoning: duty existed; the standard required reasonable inspection and imaging when indicated; breach and causation must be assessed. The patient should be informed, the retained root managed, and the event documented factually. Apology and disclosure support safety and trust.
Traps
Assuming a signed form is sufficient consent; discussing care with unauthorized people; backdating records; promising guaranteed results; failing to document refusal or adverse events.