Ch24

Autonomy

Person’s self-reliance, independence, liberty, rights, privacy, individual choice, freedom of the will, and self-contained ability to decide

Beneficence

Doing of good; active promotion of goodness, kindness, and charity

Caring

Care for; an emotional commitment to and a willingness to act on behalf of a person with whom a caring relationship exists

Codes of Ethics

Articulated statements of role morality as seen by the members of a profession

Confidentiality

Belief that health-related information about individual patients should not be revealed to others; maintenance of privacy

Consequentialism

Belief that the worth of actions is determined by their ends or consequences; actions are right or wrong according to the balance of their good and bad consequences

Duties

Obligations placed on individuals, groups, and institutions by reason of the so-called moral bond of our interdependence with others

Ethical Dilemmas

Situations requiring moral judgment between two or more equally problem-fraught alternatives; two or more competing moral norms are present, creating a challenge about what to do

Ethical Outrage

Gross violation of commonly held standards of decency or human rights

Ethical Theories

Bodies of systematically related moral principles used to resolve ethical dilemmas

Ethics

Systematic study of rightness and wrongness of human conduct and character as known by natural reason

Ethics of Care

Ethical reflections that emphasize an intimate personal relationship value system that includes such virtues as sympathy, compassion, fidelity, discernment, and love

Fidelity

Strict observance of promises or duties; loyalty and faithfulness to others

Justice

Equitable, fair, or just conduct in dealing with others

Laws

Regulations established by government and applicable to people within a certain political subdivision

Legal Rights

Rights of individuals or groups that are established and guaranteed by law

Liberal Individualism

Basis for rights-based ethical theory; each individual is protected and allowed to pursue personal projects

Moral Principles

General, universal guides to action that are derived from so-called basic moral truths that should be respected unless a morally compelling reason exists not to do so; also referred to as ethical principles

Moral Rights

Rights of individuals or groups that exist separately from governmental or institutional guarantees; usually asserted based on moral principles or rules

Moral Rules

Statements of right conduct governing individual actions

Morals

Generally accepted customs, principles, or habits of right living and conduct in a society and the individual’s practice in relation to these

Nonconsequentialism

Belief that actions themselves, rather than consequences, determine the worth of actions; actions are right or wrong according to the morality of the acts themselves

Nonmaleficence

Ethical principle that places high value on avoiding harm to others

Norms

Standards set by individuals or groups of individuals

Principle-Based Ethics

Use of moral principles as a basis for defending a chosen path of action in resolving an ethical dilemma; also see Principlism

Principlism

Belief system based on a set of moral principles that are embedded in a common morality

Professional Ethic

Publicly displayed ethical conduct of a profession, usually embedded in a code of ethics; affirms the professional as an independent, autonomous, responsible decision maker

Professional Ethics

Internal controls of a profession based on human values or moral principles

Professional Etiquette

Manners and attitudes generally accepted by members of a profession

Rights

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

Rights-Based Ethics

Belief that individual rights provide the vital protection of life, liberty, expression, and property

Rules of Ethics

ARRT’s mandatory standards of minimally acceptable professional conduct. These are enforceable and can result in sanctions should the ARRT determine the certificate holder has violated any of the rules.

Social Contract

Relationship that exists when two mutually dependent groups in a society recognize certain expectations of each other and conduct their affairs accordingly

Standards of Professional Conduct

Practice behaviors that are defined by members of a profession

Values

Ideals and customs of a society toward which the members of a group have an affective regard; a value may be a quality desirable as an end in itself

Value System

Collection or set of values that an individual or group has as each person’s personal guide

Veracity

Duty to tell the truth and avoid deception

Virtues

Traits of character that are socially valued, such as courage

Virtue-Based Ethics

Ethical theory that emphasizes the agents who perform actions and make choices; character and virtue form the framework of this ethical theory

A personal value system can be defined in terms of:

all of the above

Professional ethics can be best defined as:

a common concern for collective self-discipline

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Morals control individuals within a group

Which of the following statements is true?

Conscience controls individual morality

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Ethical dilemmas are easily solved by codes of ethics

Moral rules are best applied to ethical dilemmas when:

Dilemma is very wide in scope

Action to benefit others is defined as:

beneficence

Which is NOT a step in the problem-solving process?

determining ethical sanctions

The strict observance of promises or duties is defined as:

fidelity

Generally accepted customs of right living and conduct are:

morals

selected ethical principles

Beneficence, Nonmaleticence,

Autonomy, Veracity, Fidelity, Justice 

Being rude and impolite to a patient's family members because they are asking how long an examination will take, is an example of a(n)

professional etiquette violation

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists

(ARRT) reserves the right to revoke any certification from an individual whom it has registered. Reasons for revocation can vary from

ethical violations to failure to maintain continuing education credits, just to mention two.

This process of sanctioning demonstrates professional ____ to society.

self-regulation

Which of the following best defines fidelity?

Producing an image with no artifacts that accurately represents the patient's medical status

When you were a student medical imaging professional, the importance of radiation protection was constantly stressed, and you have incorporated the principle of ALARA as a professional value.

As an employee working within a busy imaging department, you work with some technologists who do not practice radiation protection as you have been taught. One technologist in particular routinely overexposes patients to get a "perfect image for the radiologist." This questionable technologist practice would be an example of

an ethical violation

What ethical principle focuses on doing good and promoting the welfare of patients?

Beneficence

What does the ARRT Code of Ethics require radiologic technologists to do?

Maintain strict confidentiality of patient information

Which of the following scenarios represents a violation of patient confidentiality?

Sharing patient information with an aide who is not part of the care team

Professional ethics can replace legal requirements in healthcare.

False

In your experiences as a student radiographer, you will encounter a variety of technologists, each with his or her own methods for performing procedures. Most will be quite good, but unfortunately some will be poor. As a student, you have a responsibility to recognize these various behaviors and assess their professional correctness. A firm reference point for determining the appropriate behavior for technologist behavior would be

referencing the ASRT Practice

Standards and ARRT Code of Ethics.

Which of the following is an ethical obligation under the ARRT Code of Ethics?

Ensuring that patients are exposed to the least amount of radiation possible