Medical Ethics and Professional Deontology
Medical Ethics and Professional Deontology tests consent, capacity, confidentiality, end-of-life decisions, and professional boundaries under North Macedonian professional regulation. The exam favours patient autonomy and documented reasoning.
Core rules
- Valid consent requires capacity, information, and voluntariness; consent is specific to the procedure.
- Capacity is decision-specific; a patient may refuse treatment even if others disagree.
- In an emergency with an unconscious patient, treat under presumed consent to save life or prevent serious harm.
- Confidentiality may be broken only with consent, legal requirement, or public-interest justification; share the minimum necessary.
- Maintain professional boundaries; avoid conflicts of interest and improper relationships.
Worked example
An unconscious road-traffic patient needs blood transfusion, but a family member says the patient is a Jehovah's Witness. The reasoning: no valid refusal is available from the patient; the clinician should give life-saving treatment, document the discussion, and seek senior or legal advice if time permits. Family cannot refuse for a competent adult; for an unconscious adult, emergency presumed consent applies.
Traps
Do not obtain consent for a different procedure; do not disclose HIV status to an employer; do not let a relative override a competent refusal.