USMLE Step 2 Success Rajani Katta and Samir Desai

These five cases demonstrate important medical ethics principles. When would you breach patient confidentiality? When would you honor patient autonomy over beneficence? What are advanced directives and living wills? What is the principle of determining last known wishes, and if those are not known, how do you proceed? What procedures are covered by a do not resuscitate order?

For a patient who presents with wrist drop and numbness on the back of the hand, what nerve is involved? In Saturday night palsy, which nerve is involved? What is the diagnosis in a patient presenting with a unilateral infrascapular localized area of pruritus? For a patient with numbness and tingling of the fourth and fifth digits, what nerve is involved?

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What is the correct diagnosis in this 60-year-old homeless man with a rash and irritability? What is the most likely diagnosis in this patient who presents with fatigue and newly diagnosed diabetes? What is the next best test for a 24-year-old patient who presents with a normocytic anemia?

In this patient with confusion and ataxia: What is the next best step in management? What are the risk factors for this condition? What is the most likely diagnosis in this 70 year old patient with fatigue, leg pain, and bruising? What is the best treatment? What are the risk factors for this condition?

When a patient presents with secondary amenorrhea, what is the differential diagnosis? What is the recommended testing for patients with suspected functional hypothalamic amenorrhea? For a suspected pituitary adenoma? For suspected PCOS? What are other potential causes outside of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis?

Autonomy is one of the four major medical ethical principles, and it’s important to understand how physicians must respect patient autonomy, as well as understand the situations in which other considerations override patient autonomy. What is the definition of capacity? How do you determine capacity? In cases of elder abuse, should you breach patient confidentiality? In cases of domestic abuse, should you breach patient confidentiality? How does the principle of autonomy apply to a minor patient?