ETHICS IN MEDICAL

PRACTICES

• CANO, KATHLYN R.
• DE GUZMAN, JAKE A.
• LABSAN, ENRICO B.
 ETHICS IN MEDICAL PRACTICES

• Because healthcare deals with moral dilemmas regarding life and death, it requires a strong
ethical code to provide guidance in making decisions. When healthcare providers take
ethical concerns into consideration, they are better prepared to make decisions that are
respectful, equitable, and effective.
 PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL
ETHICS
• The four pillars of medical ethics are defined as:
• Autonomy – respect for the patient’s right to self-determination
 Consent
 Confidentiality/Privacy
 Access to Records
 PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL
ETHICS
• Beneficence – the duty to ‘do good’
 Negligence Law
• Non-Maleficence – the duty to ‘not do bad’
 Criminal Law
 Negligence Law Regulation
• Justice – to treat all people equally and equitably
 Anti Discrimination Law
 7 PRINCIPLES IN ETHICS

• Autonomy Patient has right to make their own decisions

• Beneficence Care should benefit the patient

• Nonmalificence Do no harm

• Justice What is fair to all patients and society

• Confidentiality Protection of personal information

• Veracity Truth telling

• Role Fidelity Follow job description; work within credentials

• The autonomy ethical principle requires each nurse be able to perform their duties using
their own knowledge and professional judgement appropriate for each unique patient
interaction. To uphold a code of ethics in nursing, nurses must act only within their scope of
practice, yet continue to provide full, high-quality care. Autonomy is an essential part of all
aspects of nursing practice, helping nurses make appropriate decisions based on critical
thinking. The autonomy ethical principle goes hand in hand with accountability.
 BENEFICENCE

• Beneficence in nursing can be defined as the charity and kindness nurses offer to other
people, which is demonstrated by their actions in the medical setting. Beneficence means
that nurses perform actions intended to benefit others; they act with the patient’s best
interests in mind. In order to act with beneficence in nursing, each nurse must approach each
patient as a unique individual with their own life circumstances, opinions, and experiences.
Beneficence also means that nurses must put aside their own personal feelings to provide
care to the best of their abilities.
 NONMALEFICENCE

• You’ve likely already heard of this ethical principle, which is to do no harm. Nursing
nonmaleficence echoes exactly that. Nurses have a critical responsibility to prevent further
harm from coming to all their patients. Each nurse must take action to prevent harm.
Nonmaleficence in nursing is essential to safe, effective patient care that is delivered to the
best of a nurse’s ability.
 JUSTICE
• Justice plays a significant part in the nursing code of ethics. Every nurse has a responsibility to make care
decisions that are based only on the facts, not on other factors like the patient’s

 age

 ethnicity

 religion

 socioeconomic status

 sexual orientation

• To uphold the justice ethical principle, nurses should act as fair and impartial care givers, which can help
patients feel more valued. Treating each patient fairly, regardless of their circumstances, is essential for
helping patients accept and participate in their own care; this, in turn, often leads to better patient outcomes.
 CONFIDENTIALITY

• Confidentiality is one of the core duties of medical practice. It requires health care providers
to keep a patient's personal health information private unless consent to release the
information is provided by the patient.
 VERACITY

• Working in healthcare is challenging for many reasons, and in some cases, nurses must
communicate unpleasant information to a patient. Veracity in nursing is the ethical principle
of being completely open and honest with patients, even if the truth causes distress. While
being completely truthful can be daunting, especially in certain patient care circumstances,
veracity in nursing is important for establishing trust and strengthening the nurse-patient
relationship. Veracity also helps patients become more autonomous, making decisions for
their care based on all relevant, factual information.
 FIDELITY

• People want to know they can count on nurses, no matter what. The fidelity ethical principle
can best be described by keeping your word to patients. Nurses should be honest and loyal to
each patient, as this helps the nurse gain trust and fulfill their professional commitment.
Without fidelity, more trusting relationships cannot be formed, which leads to less positive
patient outcomes and less trust in professional relationships.
 MEDICAL CODE OF ETHICS
• 1. The health care worker’s primary goal is to promote optimal level of wellness, preserve life
and provide for a peaceful death when necessary

• 2. The health care worker respects the religious beliefs and cultural values of all patients

• 3. The healthcare worker provides adequate and continuous care for all patients regardless of
age, gender, race, sexual orientation or nature of the illness or injury

• 4. The health care worker knows the limits of practice for which he or she is competent and
stays within those limits

• 5. The health care worker maintains competence and current knowledge by pursuing continuing
education
• 6. The health care worker practices jurisprudent behavior at all times by avoiding unethical or illegal
practices

• 7. The health care worker respects the dignity and rights of each patient by maintaining
confidentiality and a professional attitude regarding all information relating to the client

• 8. The health care worker asks for clarification and assistance when unsure of any aspect of care

• 9. The health care worker participates in professional activities and organizations to provide better
health care

• 10. The health care worker maintains a high standard of ethical and legal behavior in his or her
PRIVATE life as well as professional life
 IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS IN
HEALTHCARE
• Ethics in health care supports improved patient outcomes, increased trust and confidence in
the healthcare system, and better overall health and well-being for individuals and
communities.
 ETHICS IN HEALTHCARE IS CRUCIAL FOR
Patient-Centered Care SEVERAL REASONS:
Informed Consent

Trust and Credibility

Professional Integrity

Prevention of Harm

Equitable Resource

Allocation

Legal Compliance

Global Health Impact

Public Perception

Continuous