Key Concepts in Healthcare Ethics and Professional Conduct

Abuse

any action or failure to act which causes unreasonable suffering, misery, or harm to an individual

Addiction

a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual's life experiences

Advanced Directives

a person of choice who can make health care choices for you when you cannot

American Hospital Association (AHA)

national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities

Assault

Any willful attempt or threat to inflict injury on another person i.e., verbally threatening to harm someone

Autonomy

self-governing

Battery

Any unlawful touching of another person i.e., physically harming someone

Beneficence

doing of good; active promotion of goodness, kindness, & charity

Birth certificate

an official record of a person's date and place of birth

Certificate of live birth

an official record for hospital data-keeping

Code of ethics

document establishing the ethical rules by the members of the profession

Communicable disease

a disease that is spread from one person to another through a variety of ways (blood or bodily fluids, breathing in airborne virus, being bitten by an insect)

Consequentialism

theory that states whether something is good or bad depends on its outcomes

Contract

an agreement between two or more persons or parties which creates an obligation to do or not to do a particular thing

Controlled Substances Act

1970 government established regulations with substances or drugs that may be abused or cause addiction. Substances are broken down into 5 categories or 'schedules' with Schedule I being having highest abuse potential

Coroner

individual that investigates all deaths where the cause is unknown or where there is reason to believe to think the death may not be due to natural causes

Current Procedural Terminology, 4th edition (CPT-4)

uniform coding system consisting of descriptive terms and 5 digit codes that are used primarily to identify medical services and procedures

Defamation

false statements presented as fact that harm someone's reputation or character

Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG)

systematic system that categories treated patients based on diagnoses, surgical procedures, age, sex, & discharge status

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)

doctors written order that no CPR is to be performed if a patient stops breathing or their heart stops

Duties

obligations placed on individuals, groups, and institutions

Electronic Health Record (EHR)

an electronic version of a patient's medical history that is maintained by the provider. Include key administrative clinical data, demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, & more

Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

digital versions of the paper patient chart

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

how employers can be of help to employees with a variety of issues that contribute to stress which in turn may be adversely affecting work performance or morale

Ethics

study of rightness & wrongness of human conduct

Ethical outrage

gross violation to the standards of decency or human rights

Ethics of care

ethical reflections that emphasize an intimate personal relationship value system that includes such virtues as sympathy.

Ethical theories

Systematically related moral principles used to solve ethical dilemmas.

Ethical Dilemmas

Situational challenge as to what to do about two or more equally difficult problems.

False imprisonment

Healthcare professional intentionally restricts a patient's movement without a written physical order.

Fidelity

Strict observance of duties, loyalty, & faithfulness to others.

Fraud

Healthcare worker or individual deceives an insurer in order to receive greater reimbursement.

Healthcare Proxy

Attorney or health care surrogate that will help ensure you get the health care you prefer in the event you cannot communicate your wishes.

Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP)

Formal authority and nationally recognized accreditation organization for hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Health Information Management Practitioners (HIM)

Practice of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital & traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care. A combination of business, science, & information technology.

Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)

Federal law developed in 1996. Required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patients consent.

Implied consent

Act of granting permission to perform a medical treatment/procedure without explicitly asking for permission.

Informed consent

Patients are given important information about medical treatment/procedure, genetic testing, or a clinical trial, including the possible risks and benefits to help them decide if they want to be treated, tested, or take part in the trial.

Inquest

Formal inquiry into the causes of and circumstances surrounding the death of a person and is conducted by the coroner before a coroner's jury.

International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (ICD-10)

An international system used by physicians to classify and code all diagnoses, symptoms, and procedures for claims processing.

Intimate partner violence (IPV)

Pattern of assaultive behavior and coercive behavior that may include physical injury, psychologic abuse, sexual assault, progressive isolation, stalking, deprivation, intimidation, and reproductive coercion. This is aimed at establishing control of one partner over another.

Justice

Equitable conduct when dealing with others.

Laws

Regulations established by the government.

Living Will

Specific types of medical care that a person wishes to receive if that person is no longer able to make medical decisions because of a terminal illness or being permanently unconscious.

Mandated reporter

Person that has a duty to report known or suspected abuse or neglect relating to children, elders, or dependent adults.

Medical examiner

physician acting in an official capacity investigates and examines persons dying of a sudden, unexpected, or violent death & with determining the cause and manner of death

Moral principles

universal guides that come from basic moral truths

Morals

generally accepted customs & conduct in society

Negligence

deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would use in a particular set of circumstances

Nonconsequentialism

the theory that denies that the rightness or wrongness of our conduct is determined solely by the goodness or badness of the consequences

Nonmaleficence

high value of avoiding harm to others

Norms

patterns of performance and standards set by individuals or groups of individuals

Older Americans Act of 1987 (OAA)

law aimed at promoting the well-being of adults 60 years older and by helping them live healthy, independent lives. Range of services include caregiving, ensuring good nutrition, helping find employment, and preventing the abuse of older persons

Oral consent

a patient states their consent to a procedure verbally but does not sign any written form

Patient Bill of Rights

a document that provides patients with information on how they can reasonably expect to be treated during the course of their hospital stay. Most often not legally-binding.

Postmortem

occurring, collected, or performed after death

Principle-based ethics

using moral principles for resolving an ethical dilemma

Principlism

approach used in biomedical ethics that uses the structure of ethical principles

Professional ethics

internal controls of a profession based on human values/ moral principles

Profession etiquette

attitude and manners accepted by members of a profession

Res ipsa loquitur

"the thing speaks for itself", a negligent act that cannot be proved but it is clear that the injury was caused by negligence

Respondeat superior

general rule that an employer is responsible for the negligent acts or omissions of its employees

Rights

justified claims that an individual can make on individuals, groups, or society; divided into legal and moral.

Rights-based ethics

ethical behavior must uphold the rights of people

Rules of ethics

mandatory standards of minimally acceptable professional conduct

Social contract

people that live together in society in accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules of behavior

Standard of care

treatment that is accepted by medical experts as a proper treatment for a certain type of disease and is widely used by healthcare professionals

Standards of professional conduct

practiced behaviors of a profession

Statutory reporting

legal requirement to report particular matters in healthcare

The Joint Commission (TJC)

organization that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations for the purpose of seeking to continuously improve health care for the public

Tort

private or civil wrong or injury for which the court provides a remedy in the form of an action for damages, when a medical professional acts in a negligent manner and injures someone in their care

Values

an individual's judgement of what is important in life

Value system

hierarchy of values that individuals reflect in the choices they make

Veracity

telling the truth

Virtues

traits of character that are socially valued

Virtue-based ethics

a trait-like strength that leads to morally & socially valued actions

Vital statistics

statistics relating to births, deaths, marriages, health, and disease

Written consent

a legally signed document that ensures patients are given important healthcare information about medical treatment/procedure, genetic testing, or a clinical trial, including the possible risks and benefits