Types of Code of Ethics for Health Care Careers

Medical ethics have come a long way over the past 100 years. During the 20th century, medical experiments were conducted on unknowing participants and aggressive, destructive procedures like frontal lobotomies were considered legitimate treatment. Healthcare providers are put in the unique position of caring for others and that gives them a lot of power. Healthcare providers are now bound by a set of ethical guidelines developed by the American Medical Association. Discussions of medical ethics begin with four basic principles.

Autonomy

• People have a right to make decisions about what happens to their bodies. Adults who are competent and informed can refuse treatments as they wish. To make theses decisions, healthcare providers must fully explain the risks and benefits associated with treatments. Healthcare providers must not attempt to coerce patients to accept or deny a treatment. Patients may sometimes make decisions that aren't in the best interest of their health. Healthcare providers must accept those decisions.

Beneficience

• Healthcare providers must intend to provide a benefit, both to individual patients and to society as a whole. This means healthcare providers are required to maintain broad knowledge of healthcare and to keep their skill set up to date. What may be good for one patient doesn't mean it will necessarily be good for another. Healthcare providers should make decisions on a case by case basis.

Nonmaleficence

• Put simply, this principle means do no harm. Healthcare providers should never consciously harm their patients or others in society. Healthcare providers should also be aware of the doctrine of double effect. The term double effect refers to a treatment that unintentionally causes harm. For instance, administering morphine to a terminally ill patient to ease her pain could negatively effect her respiratory system.

Justice

• Healthcare providers should administer care in a fair and just manner. Medical care is a scarce resource that is required by many people. Healthcare providers should be aware of rights and obligations, competing needs and potential conflicts with established legislation. This principle implies that healthcare providers should not pass over an impoverished emergency room patient to treat a wealthy hospital donor.