This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
The CAHIMS Exam Preparation Course
and the CAHIMS exam are the result of
collaboration between the Life Science
Informatics Center at Bellevue College
and the Healthcare Information and
Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Significant content found in the CAHIMS
Exam Preparation Course stems from the
Office of the National Coordinator for
Health Information Technology. Creation
of the CAHIMS Exam Preparation Course
and the CAHIMS exam was made
possible through support from the National
Science Foundation (NSF).
Curriculum Team:
Margaret Schulte, DBA
Michèle Royer, PhD
Nathan Savage, MLIS
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Section 9 - Professionalism and Communication Skills
Lesson 9.1 - Business and Communication Ethics
Assessment Questions Answer Key
Lectures 1, 2, 3 & 4
1. Which of the following are the 4 core principles of medical ethics?
a. Autonomy, beneficence, confidentiality, non-maleficence
*b. Autonomy, beneficence, justice, non-maleficence
c. Autonomy, beneficence, equality, non-maleficence
d. Autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, privacy
Answer: b. Many people who study healthcare ethics say the basics can be
captured in the application of 4 basic ideas: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. This approach is widely used and serves as the starting
point for many discussions of healthcare ethics.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 1/4-8, 4/13,14
2. The ethical principle of autonomy implies all of the following EXCEPT:
a. Healthcare professionals must get informed consent from patients before
treating them.
b. Patients have the right to refuse treatment.
c. Patients’ medical records must be kept confidential.
*d. Treatments must be designed to maximize benefits and minimize risks.
Answer: d. It is true that treatments must maximize benefits and minimize risks,
but this is implied by the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence,
respectively. The principle of autonomy is applied to informed consent, voluntary
decision-making, and medical confidentiality.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 1/5,10, 3/4-6
3. Which of the following is NOT an aspect of professionalism?
a. Behaving ethically on the job
b. Gaining the technical ability to do a good job
c. Learning ethical codes
*d. Setting and achieving aspirational goals
Answer: d. Professionalism means acting in a way that meets the standards of
one’s profession. These standards may incorporate ethical obligations, best
practices, and other norms within a profession. By definition, an aspirational goal
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Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 1
is a standard that would be met in an ideal world but is not currently achievable in
the real world.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 1/3,13,17-19, 4/6
4. Which of the following is NOT necessary for a successful malpractice lawsuit?
*a. The healthcare provider being sued is a doctor.
b. The healthcare provider failed to meet minimum standards of care.
c. The healthcare provider had a duty to the patient.
d. The injury resulted in damages (harm).
Answer: a. Other healthcare providers besides doctors, including nurses,
pharmacists, and physical therapists, can be successfully sued in a court of law if
the elements of a malpractice case are met.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 2/9,10
Lectures 5 & 6
5. Ethics are considered to be
a. behaviors prescribed by law.
*b. behaviors based on social standards.
c. enforceable by the legal system.
d. Judeo-Christian principles.
Answer: b. behaviors based on social standards.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 5/4
6. Policing smoking behavior in enclosed environments for public health reasons
would be an ethical practice based on which of the following approaches?
a. Justice
b. Moral-rights
*c. Utilitarian
d. Individualism
Answer: c. Utilitarian
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 5/7
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Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
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7. Which of the following is NOT a major role of the medical ethics committee?
a. Education
b. Reviewing institutional policies on ethical issues
c. Case consultation
*d. Disciplinary action
Answer: d. Disciplinary action
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 5/11
8. Which of the following is considered an external or secondary diversity
dimension?
a. Race
b. Sexual orientation
*c. Income
d. Age
Answer: c. Income
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/5
9. The following statement is TRUE with respect to diversity:
a. Diversity has more negative than positive consequences.
*b. Diversity can be leveraged with the appropriate leadership.
c. Diversity can result in more effective communication.
d. Diversity can reduce group conflict.
Answer: b. Diversity can be leveraged with the appropriate leadership.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/8
10. __________ represents a preference for one’s own culture that results in
critical evaluations of people from another culture.
*a. Ethnocentrism
b. Ethnorelativism
c. Pluralism
d. Prejudice
Answer: a. Ethnocentrism
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/9
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11. An emphasis on family involvement in healthcare decision making is
characteristic of
a. low context cultures.
b. high context cultures.
*c. collectivist cultures.
d. individualist cultures.
Answer: c. collectivist cultures.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/13
12. An emphasis on building relationships in communication is characteristic of
a. low context cultures.
*b. high context cultures.
c. collectivist cultures.
d. individualist cultures.
Answer: b. high context cultures.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/14
13. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on
a. age.
b. disability.
*c. religion.
d. sexual orientation.
Answer: c. religion.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/16
14. All of the following represent important elements of cultural competency
EXCEPT
a. Policies, processes and structures for cross-cultural interactions
b. Family-centered care
c. Equitable care
*d. Ethnocentric care
Answer: d. Ethnocentric care
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/20
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Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
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15. Culture is defined as:
a. Customs and traditions that guide individuals
b. Religious belief systems that determine group behavior
c. Learned behaviors and beliefs that bond families
*d. Communal sharing of a pattern of learned beliefs and behaviors
Answer: d. Communal sharing of a pattern of learned beliefs and behaviors
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/4
16. Which is the key factor in the cause of cultural differences?
*a. Identity
b. Race
c. Religion
d. Nationality
Answer: a. Identity
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/4
17. Health Valley Hospital’s human resource officer is assigned the task of
increasing the marketability of the hospital. Which is the best action for this task?
a. Offer employee vacation days for religious holidays
*b. Hire a diverse employee base that represents the diversity of the community
c. Increase benefits for those who have twenty-five years of service
d. Offer incentives for those who attend diversity training
Answer: b. Hire a diverse employee base that represents the diversity of the
community
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/6
18. In order to inhibit the tendency to focus on behavior that reinforces prejudices
one should:
a. be loyal to the culture of one’s background.
b. do not discuss prejudices with coworkers.
*c. be aware of stereotyping.
d. stay busy at work and evade confrontations.
Answer: c. be aware of stereotyping.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/10
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Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
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19. The following scenario is indicative of which cultural element of
communication?
Lin looks down when the CEO speaks to her. Bob steps back after being
approached by his coworker. Jeremy is surprised by a long handshake. Anna
avoids hugs.
a. Prudent personal awareness
b. Mutual respect
*c. Sense of self and space
d. Sense of cultural preferences
Answer: c. Sense of self and space
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/12
20. According to this unit, the term “hidden curriculum” refers to:
a. Any way in which a co-worker punishes a whistleblower
b. How state medical boards help medical school graduates prepare to re-take
the medical board examination after failing once or twice
*c. How medical students acquire their ethical standards
d. The continuing education classes that doctors must take if a state medical
board disciplines them
Answer: c. Many experts say that when it comes to prevailing ethical values,
medical education contains a “hidden curriculum.” Such things as institutional
policies, standards for evaluation, resource-allocation decisions, and institutional
language can influence what medical students learn about ethics.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/12-14
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 6