Medical Law and Ethics Final Exam
Review Newest Update 2025
What is Civil Law - -concerns relationships either between individuals or between
individuals and the government, an individual can sue another person, a business, or
the government, include divorces, child custody, auto accidents, slander, and
trespassing
What is Criminal Law - -are made to protect the public as a whole from the harmful acts
of others, a criminal act is one in which a person or institution commits an illegal act or a
failure to act
Legislative Branch - -referred to as Congress, is the lawmaking body, composed of
members of the Senate and House or Representatives and is responsible for passing
legislation into laws
Executive Branch - -administers and enforces the law, consisting of the President of the
US, his cabinet, and various advisors
Judicial Branch - -interprets the laws, consisting of judges and the federal courts,
including the Supreme Court
Contract Law - -breach, or neglect, of a legally binding agreement between two parties
Expressed Contract or Consent - -is an agreement that clearly states all the terms, it
can be entered into orally or in writing, the physician either makes you sign a contract or
tells you orally
Implied Contract or Consent - -is one in which is shown through inference by signs,
inaction, or silence, ex. patient reaching their arm out so you can take their BP while the
MA is obtaining the BP cuff
Termination of the Contract - -a breach of contract occurs when either party fails to
comply with the terms of the agreement
What are the 7 torts - -Assault, Battery, False Imprisonment, Defamation of Character,
Fraud, Invasion of Privacy, and Embezzlement
Information included in a patients Medical Record - -personal patient information, full
name, address, telephone number, date of birth, martial status, employer, and
insurance information
MEDICAL LAW
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Felony - -carries a punishment of death or imprisonment in a state or federal prison for
more than one year; murder, rape, sodomy, robbery, larceny, arson, burglary, tax
evasion, and practicing medicine without a license
Misdemeanor - -less serious offense, carries a punishment of fines or imprisonment in
jail for up to one year; traffic violations, disturbing the peace, and minor theft
What two categories do Criminal Acts fall under; the main two laws - -felony and
misdemeanors
Double-Blind Test - -neither the experimenter nor the patient know who is getting the
research treatment, this considered to be an objective means of gathering test data
because it eliminates any bias, or preference, the researcher may have towards a
specific research method or treatment; EX: giving three men pills to help with hair
growth on their heads but only one out of the three actually receives the medication,
most of the time the physician does not know who was given the actual medication for
treatment, only the tester does
Expulsion - -(being forced out) or suspension of a physician from membership in the
medical association, physicians who are accused of unethical behavior or conduct in
violation of these standards can be issued a warning or censure by the AMA but not all
physicians belong to the AMA
Nontherapeutic Research - -research that will not directly benefit the research
subject/patient, the justification for all medical research is that the benefit must outweigh
the risk; human beings cannot be used for testing purposed unless they consent to
participate
Posthumous - -(after death) use of their organs through some type of written document,
including a donor card; falls under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act permitting competent
adults to either allow or forbid giving organs of the dead
Revocation - -(taking away) of the physicians license, if some alleges, or declares
without proof, that a physician has committed a criminal act, the AMA is required to
report it to the state licensing board or governmental agency; violations of the law,
followed by a convection for the crime can also result into fines and imprisonment
Social Utility Method of Allocation - -based on careful screening and matching of the
donor with the recipient to determine if there is a strong chance of the recipient's
survival; one basis for determining the allocation of organs is to give them to patients
who will benefit the most
Therapeutic Research - -form of medical research that may directly benefit the
subject/patient; patients must sign an Informed Consent form and the patient must be
informed about all the risks involved with the research subject/patient
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