Behavioral Sciences and Medical Ethics
What Behavioral Sciences and Medical Ethics tests
This domain tests communication, psychological development and the ethical-legal framework of practice: consent, capacity, confidentiality, truth-telling, resource allocation and care of vulnerable patients. Questions are short scenarios asking what you should do next.
Core rules
- Valid consent requires capacity, adequate information, voluntariness and consent to the specific act. Capacity requires the ability to understand, appreciate, reason and communicate a choice; it is decision-specific.
- A competent adult may refuse treatment even if the decision seems unwise, provided the consequences are understood. In a life-threatening emergency when the patient cannot consent, treat under the doctrine of necessity.
- Minors: assess maturity; involve parents or guardians for major decisions, but respect confidentiality where the law permits and encourage family support.
- Confidentiality may be broken with consent, when legally required, or in the public interest, such as notifiable disease or serious risk of harm to an identifiable person.
- Breaking bad news: prepare, assess understanding, invite questions, give information in chunks, respond to emotion, then plan. Avoid jargon and false reassurance.
- Resource allocation should follow clinical need and expected benefit, not social worth.
Worked example
A 16-year-old asks for contraceptive advice and requests that her parents not be told. Reason: assess capacity and confidentiality, discuss risks and benefits, encourage involvement of a trusted adult, and document the assessment. If she is competent and there is no safeguarding concern, confidentiality can be maintained within the legal framework.
Traps
Assuming refusal of treatment means incompetence; obtaining consent for a procedure the patient has not understood; breaching confidentiality casually in conversation; disclosing a diagnosis to relatives before the patient has agreed.