All healthcare providers need to construct an ethical framework to guide their decisions regarding the provision of care to patients. This framework often draws heavily on providers’ religious beliefs, cultural norms, codes of ethics, and the pertinent legal system. The phrase “First, do no harm” sufficed for millennia, but it is difficult to interpret in an era of artificial life support, cloning, genetic engineering and embryo splitting. An ethical framework is an extremely personal decision, but it should be in accord with certain principles of medical ethics that have evolved over the ages that can still guide the practitioner. The decision may be a balancing of these various ethical principles and the rights of the individuals involved. The achievement of a resolution that accommodates the rights and belief systems of both individuals in these situations can be difficult. As a general rule, ethical belief systems are meant to be aspirational rather than punitive (as the law can be), but deviations from an organization’s code of ethics can lead to various forms of censure.
In this activity, we will address various ethical principles of which healthcare providers need to be aware – autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice. These ethical principles can form the skeleton for an individual’s ethical framework, which may need to be fleshed out by religious or cultural overlays. After completing this activity, practitioners should be able to: summarize the principles of medical ethics; interpret how the principle of autonomy relates to medical ethics; and apply the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence in day-to-day practice.
- Provider:The Sullivan Group
- Activity Link: https://www.thesullivangroup.com/RSQSolutions/course-purchase-home/
- Start Date: 2022-03-03 06:00:00
- End Date: 2022-03-03 06:00:00
- Credit Details: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™️: 1.0 hours
- Commercial Support: No
- Activity Type: Enduring Material
- CME Finder Type: Online Learning
- Fee to Participate: Variable
- Measured Outcome: Learner Competence, Learner Knowledge, Learner Performance, Patient Health
- Provider Ship: Directly Provided
- Registration: Open to all