American Board of Internal Medicine sanctions physicians over exam questions
MKSAP Quiz: thyroid nodule
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) will sanction 139 physicians for soliciting or sharing confidential questions from board certification examinations, it announced last week. ABIM also brought legal action against five physicians it alleged were the most egregious offenders.
The physicians involved took the Arora Board Review, a test-preparation course for board certification. They were encouraged to relay questions to the company immediately after taking ABIM exams and were given ABIM questions obtained from other physicians, ABIM has alleged. When registering for ABIM exams, physicians agree in writing not to discuss the exam content and sign a “pledge of honesty” that they will not disclose, copy, or reproduce any portion of the exam material. ABIM also warns physicians that it will severely penalize anyone who divulges exam content. ABIM asserts that exam questions are copyrighted property of ABIM, and unauthorized dissemination of them is in violation of copyright law and professional ethical medical standards.
“Sharing test questions from memory is a serious problem that threatens the integrity of all standardized testing. Test takers need to know that this kind of ‘brain dumping’ is grossly unethical,” said Christine K. Cassel, MACP, ABIM's president and CEO, in a press release. “Ethics are critical to the practice of medicine and are the foundation of a successful doctor-patient relationship. We will not tolerate unethical behavior from physicians seeking board certification.”
ABIM has taken the following actions, according to its press release:The physicians involved will have their board certification suspended for up to five years, based on the seriousness of their offense.Physicians involved who have not achieved certification will not be admitted to sit for a certification exam for at least one year, based on the seriousness of their offense.Certification will be revoked for any physician who organized, collected and distributed ABIM exam questions.Physicians who took the Arora Board Review course will receive a letter expressing concern about their failure to notify ABIM about any questionable activities involving solicitation or receipt of exam questions.
ABIM may impose additional sanctions or escalate sanctions if new evidence is obtained in the ongoing investigation.
“Honesty and integrity must govern all aspects of medicine, including our relationships with patients, with the public, and with each other,” said ACP President J. Fred Ralston, FACP. “These physicians must be held accountable for these serious breaches of ethics and professionalism, and for fracturing the trust society grants our profession.”