Medical/Legal Issues & Professional Ethics

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on medical/legal issues and professional ethics from John Patrick University.

Ethics

The systematic study of rightness and wrongness of human conduct and character as known by natural reason.

Professional Ethic

The ethical conduct of a profession.

Morals

Generally accepted customs, principles, or habits of right living and conduct in a society.

Values

Ideals & customs of a society toward which the members of a group have an affective regard.

Professional Ethics

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

ARRT Code of Ethics

A guide by which RTs and Candidates may evaluate their professional conduct in relation to patients, health care consumers, and colleagues.

Ethical Dilemma

A situation requiring moral judgment between two or more equally 'right' alternatives.

Nonconsequentialism

The belief that actions themselves, rather than consequences, determine the worth of actions.

Beneficence

Bringing about good.

Nonmaleficence

Preventing harm; to do no harm.

Autonomy

Self-reliance, independence; individual choice and freedom of will.

Veracity

Telling the truth.

Fidelity

Being faithful.

Justice

Acting with fairness or equity.

Medical Negligence

Failure to use such care as a reasonably prudent healthcare professional would use in similar circumstances.

Tort

A civil wrong committed by one individual against another.

Assault

Any willful attempt or threat to inflict injury on another person.

Battery

An unlawful touching of another that is without justification or excuse.

False Imprisonment

Conscious restraint of another without proper authorization, privilege, or consent.

Defamation

Holding up a person to ridicule or contempt in a respectable part of the community.

Patient Rights

Informs the patient of the right to be well informed and participate in treatment decisions.

Res Ipsa Loquitur

The thing speaks for itself; burden of proof shifts from the plaintiff to the defendant.

Respondeat Superior

The principle that the employer is responsible for the actions of employees performed within the course of their employment.

Corporate Liability

Requires the hospital or health care entity to be responsible for the quality of care delivered to consumers.

HIPAA

A law that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information.