Hygiene Atlas

Atlas · Plate XVIII · Ethics and Professional Responsibility · 01

Ethical principles

Core principles include autonomy (the patient's right to decide), beneficence (doing good), nonmaleficence (doing no harm), justice, veracity and confidentiality. Deciding for a competent patient for their own good is paternalism and violates autonomy. A true dilemma has two defensible choices, and a decision model walks from defining the problem to acting and evaluating.

High-yield facts · 7

  1. Autonomy: the patient's right to decide (self-determination); informed consent follows from it.S55
  2. Beneficence: do good; nonmaleficence: do no harm.S55
  3. Justice: fair distribution of care and resources.S55
  4. Veracity: truthfulness; fidelity: keeping promises; confidentiality: protecting patient information.S55
  5. Paternalism (deciding for a competent patient "for their own good") violates autonomy.S55
  6. An ethical dilemma has two or more ethically justifiable choices; an ethical decision model: identify the problem, gather facts, list options, apply principles, choose, act and evaluate.S55
  7. ADHA Code of Ethics core values: individual autonomy and respect for human beings, confidentiality, societal trust, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice and fairness, veracity.S55

Facts are written in our own words; each tag links to its source. Values marked "sources vary" differ between references, so check the one your program uses.