Professional Ethics, Jurisprudence, and Patient Safety
What is tested
Lawful, respectful and safe practice: consent, confidentiality, scope, documentation, and the systems that prevent harm.
Core rules
- Consent. Valid consent needs capacity, adequate information (nature, risks, alternatives, consequences of refusal), and voluntariness. Document the discussion, not just a signature.
- Scope of practice. Work within your training and the terms of your registration with the licensing authority; refer on when the presentation exceeds it.
- Confidentiality. Disclose only with consent or where the law requires it; keep records secure and avoid discussing patients in public or shared spaces.
- Negligence. Duty of care, breach of the expected standard, causation, and harm - all four must be shown.
- Documentation. Contemporaneous, factual, dated and signed; record assessment, treatment, advice, adverse events and non-attendance.
- Safety. WHO five moments of hand hygiene; standard precautions; equipment checks; manual handling with hoists; falls prevention; incident reporting focused on systems, not blame.
- Boundaries and culture. Respect dignity, privacy and religious or cultural needs - same-gender chaperone, dress, prayer times - while keeping care equitable.
Worked example
A patient with a recent meniscal repair refuses the prescribed exercise programme, saying it hurts. Reasoning: assess capacity first; explain the benefits, alternatives and likely consequence of stopping. If capacity is intact, refusal is valid and must be respected. Offer modified loading and a review, and document the explanation, the patient's decision and the review plan. Do not continue covertly or label the patient difficult.
Traps
Treating without documented consent; discussing a diagnosis in a waiting room; altering or backdating notes; failing to report an adverse event or near miss; letting personal views about a patient's choices affect care.