intro to ethics

1. Ethics

2. Definition
Contents
7 codes of Ethics
Basic ethics
Principles of Ethics
Health Care
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5

3. What is Ethics
Derived from the Greek word “ethos”, which
means “way of living”, ethics is a branch of
philosophy that is concerned with human conduct,
more specifically the behaviour of individuals in
society.
Ethics, also called moral philosophy,
the discipline concerned with what is morally good
and bad and morally right and wrong.

4. What is Ethics
Ethics examines the rational justification for
our moral judgments. In a broader sense,
ethics reflects on human beings and their
interaction with nature and with other
humans, on freedom,on responsibility and on
justice.

5. Ethics
value principles
rights
discipline
responsibility
choice

6. 7 Golden
Ethical Principles

7. Be An Ethical Leader
Ethical leadership means that individuals
behave according to a set of principles and
values that are recognized by the majority as a
sound basis for the common good. These
include integrity, respect, trust, fairness,
transparency, and honesty.
This means having the courage to challenge
others when necessary. By living with ethics
principles and using them to guide our everyday
actions and inspire others’ behaviour, we can
be influential.

8. Use Moral Courage
Moral courage is the ability to stand up for
and practice that which one considers ethical,
moral behavior when faced with a dilemma,
even if it means going against countervailing
pressure to do otherwise.
Those with moral courage resolve to “do the
right thing” even if it puts them at
personal risk of losing employment, isolation
from peers and other negative consequences.

9. Consider personal and professional reputation
A professional’s reputation is his or her personal brand – it
enables us to get jobs, build careers, win clients, influence change,
and it is how we will be remembered.
All of us need to be aware of the potential
reputational consequences of our individual
actions, or indeed our inaction. Ultimately,
unethical behaviour could lead to reputational
ruin for us as individuals and for our
organisations and bring discredit to our
profession

10. Set the right tone at the top
It states that those at the top of the
organization should be honest, show integrity,
and uphold an ethically-correct corporate
culture. We must value colleagues and establish
an appropriate culture to ensure individuals feel
empowered to ‘speak up’ if an issue arises.
Even more important is ensuring allegations are
properly listened to and appropriately
investigated.

11. Maintain an inquiring mindset
It is the inquiring mindset which allows you to question whether
something seems reasonable. An ethical mindset is humble and
aware of its own weaknesses, it can admit it's in the wrong, and
has the courage to ask others for help if necessary.
Ethical dilemmas may start off as innocuous
and immaterial, but snowball into an issue.
Problems need to be nipped in the bud to
avoid escalation beyond our control.

12. Consider the public interest
The public interest is about what matters to
everyone in society. It is about the common
good, the general welfare and the security and
well-being of everyone in the community we
serve. Ultimately, it is about how our actions
could be viewed by others.
If they would conclude that a course of action
is inappropriate, don’t do it, don’t condone it,
and have the moral courage to do something
about it.

13. Consider ‘the right, the good and
the virtuous’ actions
Ethics includes the consideration of the right, the good,
and the virtuous actions to take in a particular
circumstance, reaching a judgement, and having the
resolve and courage to act accordingly.

14. Basic Ethical Principles

15. Respect for Persons
Justice
Respect for persons is the
concept that all people deserve
the right to fully exercise their
autonomy. Showing respect for
persons is a system for
interaction in which one entity
ensures that another has agency
to be able to make a choice.
Justice is generally
interpreted as fair,
equitable, and appropriate
treatment of
persons. “Fairness in
distribution” or “what is
deserved.”

16. Beneficence
Persons are treated in an ethical
manner not only by respecting
their decisions and protecting
them from harm, but also by
making efforts to secure their
well-being. Such treatment falls
under the principle of beneficence.
Two general rules have been
formulated as complementary
expressions of beneficent actions
in this sense: (1) do not harm
and (2) maximize possible
benefits and minimize possible
harms.

17. The Ethical Principles Of Ethics

18. Autonomy
The duty to respect and promote individuals´ choices for
themselves in achieving what they believe to be in their
best interests. This duty also includes respect
for confidentiality and privacy.
Privacy is related not only to information,
but also to freedom from unnecessary or
unwanted interference by others.

19. Beneficence
The duty always to act in the best interests
of the patient, client, or resident; it must
be distinguished from paternalism.

20. The duty to do not harm, and to protect the others
from harm. Included in this duty is to maintain one´s
professional competence.
In the palliative care setting, possible violations of this
duty include:
- Insisting that patients confront the
reality of their approach to death.
- Destroying hope.
- Providing unnecessary sedation.
Non-maleficence

21. Distributive justice
All persons in society, being of equal moral worth,
should be treated fairly. Distributive justice refers
to the perceived fairness of an allocation or, more
broadly, to how people judge what they receive.

22. Ethics in healthcare

23. What is ethics in healthcare?
Healthcare ethics is the collection of principles
that guide doctors, nurses, and other clinicians in
providing medical care. It combines moral beliefs —
a sense of right and wrong — with a sense of the
provider’s duty toward others.

24. Ethics within healthcare are important because workers
must recognize healthcare dilemmas, make good judgments
and decisions based on their values while keeping within
the laws that govern them.
To practice competently with integrity, nurses, like
all healthcare professionals, must have regulation
and guidance within the profession. The American
Nurses Association (ANA) has developed the Code
of Ethics for this purpose.
Why is ethics important in the healthcare profession?

25. Thank You