Healthcare Ethics: Kinn’s Chapter 5 Principles and Issues

What are personal ethics?

An individual's honesty, fairness, commitment, integrity, and accountability, guiding what one considers to be correct.

What are professional ethics?

Codes of conduct stated by an employer or a professional association, guiding the behavior of professionals.

What is the Hippocratic Oath?

An ethical code for physicians that emphasizes principles of medical ethics.

What is the AAMA Code of Ethics?

A set of principles that medical assistants strive to uphold, including respect for patient dignity and confidentiality.

What is autonomy in healthcare ethics?

The freedom to determine one's own actions and decisions.

Define nonmaleficence.

The ethical principle of doing no harm.

What does beneficence mean?

To act for the good or benefit of others.

What is justice in healthcare ethics?

The principle of treating patients fairly and providing appropriate care.

What are advance directives?

Written instructions about healthcare decisions for when a person is unable to make them.

What is the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA)?

A law that requires healthcare providers to inform patients of their rights to make decisions about their medical care.

What is euthanasia?

The act of killing a person who is suffering from an incurable disease, also known as 'mercy killing.'

Differentiate between active and passive euthanasia.

Active euthanasia involves direct action to end life, while passive euthanasia involves withholding treatment.

What is the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA)?

A law that clarifies who can make organ donation decisions and strengthens protections for patient decisions.

What is the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA)?

A law that established the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) and criminalized the sale of organs.

What is pharmacogenetics?

The study of genetic factors that influence a person's response to medication.

What is stem cell transplantation?

A procedure where stem cells develop into specialized cells for treatment.

What are the stages of grief and dying?

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

What is cloning?

The process of creating a genetically identical biological entity.

What is the significance of informed consent in research trials?

It ensures that participants are fully aware of the risks and benefits before agreeing to participate.

What are assistive reproductive technologies?

Medical procedures such as in vitro fertilization and surrogacy that assist with reproduction.

What is the purpose of the Belmont Report?

To outline ethical principles and guidelines for research involving human subjects.

What is palliative medicine?

Medical care that focuses on providing relief from symptoms of serious illness.

What is the role of medical assistants in end-of-life care?

They may accompany providers in skilled nursing facilities and assist with hospice care.

What is the significance of the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA)?

It provides criteria for legally declaring a person dead based on specific medical conditions.

What is genetic testing?

A procedure that identifies issues with a person's chromosomes, genes, or proteins.

What is gene therapy?

An experimental technique that uses genes to prevent or treat diseases.

What are the ethical issues surrounding organ donation?

Concerns about consent, allocation, and the gap between available organs and those in need.

What is the importance of confidentiality in patient care?

It protects patient privacy and builds trust in the healthcare provider-patient relationship.