ethics, consent and good practice Flashcards
Wk 2
What is the definition of ethics?
principles that govern actions, behaviours and attitudes. Standards of society.
what are the health care applications of ethics?
Involved in all medical decisions in which must consider, it it good for the patient, will it do harm? does it align with values?
what are the four ethical principles?
Autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice
What is autonomy and how is it applied to medical practice?
Our actions are result of own choices. Individual must have capability to self-govern and be free from external contraints.
what are the three elements of consent?
threshold, information and consent elements
What is Threshold element?
asking if the patient is competent to make that decision (age, brain function, conscious state)
What are the subcategories of information elements?
disclosure of information (what and consequnces), understanding in depth and confirmation of understanding
what is considered appropriate disclosure in information element of consent?
according to professional standard (what would colleques disclose), Resonable Patient (what us reasonable for the patient to know) and Subjective patient (what does THIS patinet want/need to know)
What are the consent elements?
consent must be voluntary (no coercion) and give you authorisation (depends on situation if oral/written and how much).
what is doctor’s autonomy?
personal and professional values as well as legal responsibilities/
What is the main principle of nonmaleficence?
Prium, non nocere (first, do no harm)
Beneficence
Ought to promote and do good, prevent evil and avoid harm. Do good without intention.
How is beneficince applied in medical setting?
patient-centred thinking, spending time and educating the patient.
how is nonmaleficence applied in medical setting?
being honest that you are a student and only practising within scope, respecting beleifts, vales and lifetsytles and being aware of the harm that actions could cause.
what are the three principles of justice?
social, distrubtion and legal
if legal justice is in place what happens to your actions as a medical professional?
the legal action trumps
what does social justice refer to?
treating patients with similar diagnoses in similar way, equitable access and respect for rights
what does dustributive justice refer to?
how resources are allocated, ensuring everyone has the same action
what is legal justice?
adhering to legal rulings and laws.
What does ‘rights’ refer to?
legal, social, ethical principles of freedom or entitlement.
what are two types of rights?
human rights (goal of all hummanity) and legal rights.
what are obligations
what must do according to custom or a contract and often linked to morality.
what is duty and how is different to obligation?
what OUGHT to do, often overruled by obligation.
how can you tell difference between legal and an ethical issue?
legal issues will be dictated according to law and legalisation (DNR’s, power of attorney etc) while ethics are according to own moral, attitudes and beliefts.
