When a respiratory therapist defers a patient's questions about a condition to the attending phy-sician, what ethical principle is being practiced?

a. Autonomy
b. Beneficence
c. Role fidelity
d. Harm principle

ANS: C
For example, because of differences in role duty, a respiratory therapist might be ethically obliged not to tell a patient's family how critical the situation is, instead having the attending physician do so.