Bioethics

and
Ethics
Morality & Ethics
• Morality – refers to the quality of
human act

• Bioethics -Science that deals with the

study of the morality of human
conduct concerning human life in all
aspects, from the moment of its
conception to its natural end.
• Health ethics – it is a Science that
deals with the study of the morality
of human conduct as it concerns with
health care delivery services.
• Professional Ethics – moral science
that treats the obligations by
which a member of a profession
owes the public, to the profession
and to his clients.

• Ethics – refers to the philosophical

and practical science that deals
with the study of morality of
human acts or human conduct.
Ethical Codes are unique to each vocation and w/c apply to their respective
members

• CODE OF ETHICS (Corporate or business ethics)

• General principles of an organization’s beliefs on matters
such as mission, quality, privacy or the environment

• CODE OF CONDUCT (Employee ethics)

• Designed to influence the behavior of employees

• CODE OF PRACTICE (Professional ethics; professional responsibility)

• Discusses difficult issues, difficult decisions
• Provides clear account of what behavior is considered
‘ethical’ or ‘correct’ or ‘right’ in the circumstances
 vs
Occupation
Profession and Occupation
• Job
• Series of social and technical activities resulting to production of goods or
establishment of services

• an activity that serves as one’s regular source of livelihood

• Blue-collar work may involve skilled or
unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction,
• White collar vs blue collar job
• White collar job – office
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
OCCUPATION AND PROFESSION
Profession Occupation

Needs extensive does not need any

training and specialized extensive training
knowledge ; has to
undergo higher
education
Paid for his particular Paid for what they
skills and his deep produce, not with their
knowledge knowledge
Can be independent Supervise by another
 Ethical
Principles
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
p. 113
A. HONESTY
• The professional do not keep any necessary information
or lie to the patient w/ regards to his condition

B. BENEFICENCE (DOING GOOD)

• Professional uses his or her knowledge and skills for the
benefit of the patient (do not harm our Px while we are
trying to help them)
C. JUSTICE
• The professional should not be bias on his service in the
basis of a patient’s race, religion, nationality, or other
personal characteristic
D. AVOIDING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
• The professional should not only think what could
benefit him but instead the goodness of the patient

E. PLEDGING TO DO NO HARM
• The professional must avoid all the actions that could
give bad effects to the patient
 Patient’s
Duties
and Rights
 p. 115

• Patient’s Duties
• Refers to what obligations we owe to others or responsibilities we have under
the rule in question
• Patient’s Rights
• Refers to the moral power incumbent upon the dignity of the patient as a
human person which is enjoined by both natural law and positive law
requiring that what is due must be rendered to the patient as justice
demands
DUTIES OF A PATIENT
 to participate in a “healthcare jurisdiction”
 to uphold his own health
 to protect the health of others
 to seek and access healthcare responsibly
 Duty of truthfulness, compliance and inpatient
conduct
 Duty of recovery or maintenance
 Duty of research participation
PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS
1. Right to considerate and respectful care
2. Right to obtain from his physician complete current
information concerning his diagnosis, treatment and
prognosis
3. Right to receive from his physician information
necessary to give informed consent prior to the start of
any procedure and/or treatment
4. Right to refuse treatment
5. Right to every consideration of his privacy concerning
his own medical care program
6. Right to expect that all communications and records
pertaining to his care should be treated as confidential
Duties of a Healthcare Provider
p. 124

• Preserve life
• Provide all patients with caring attention (including the
terminally ill)
• Do good
• Treat every Px w/ respect & courtesy
Basic Unethical and
Unprofessional
Practices
 BASIC UNETHICAL AND UNPROFESSIONAL PRACTICES
p. 120

Sizing up one’s professional capacity before others

Maligning the credibility and reputation of a member

of the team or of the same professional group to
clients or others
Maligning- badmouthing
Performing action beyond one’s professional
functions and capacity
Having illicit and sexual relationship w/ a client

Embarrassing a colleague or subordinate before a

patient

Breaking the rules on confidentiality and seal of

secrecy

Fabricating patient’s record and medical certificates

for any purposes
Malpractice
• Malpractice (maling pagsagawa)
• unprofessional treatment resulting to injuries
• wrong execution of duties and responsibilities of a health
care institution

• Negligence (kapabayaan)
• failure to use a reasonable amount of care when such
failure results in injury
• DEFAMATION
• uttering or publishing of slanderous words to injure
another’s reputation

• SLANDER
• utterance in the presence of another person w/ false
statement damaging to a third person’s reputation

• LIBEL
• malicious writing bringing contempt or public derision
Ethical Issues
1. Euthanasia (Arguments For & Against Euthanasia)
2. Babydoe
3. Brain Death, (PVS) Persistent Vegetative State (Withholding
& Withdrawing Life Support)
4. Abortion: Pro-life or Pro-choice Issue;
5. Family Planning (Accidental babies over planed babies)
6. Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare Practice &
Conflict of Interest
7. Ethical Issues and the AIDS Pandemic;
Medical Confidentiality
8. Organ Donation Issue
9. Ethical Issues on Cloning
10. Transcultural health
6. Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare Practice &
Conflict of Interest
7. Ethical Issues and the AIDS Pandemic;
Medical Confidentiality
8. Organ Donation Issue
9. Ethical Issues on Cloning
10. Transcultural health
• Reference:
• Ethics of Health Care: A Guide for Clinical Practice; 2nd
edition; Raymond S. Edge
Medtech Code of Ethics
• Please memorize… ty!