1. Autonomy or Self-Determination
• Capacity to be one’s own person, make decisions on one’s own resources, and not be manipulated or dictated to by external forces.
–Competency
–Ability to act on the decision
–Respect for the autonomy of others
2. Beneficence
• Promote health for the patient above any other considerations.
–Perform acts to help people stay healthy or recover from illness.
3. Nonmaleficence
• The duty to “Do no harm.”
–Technology has made this principle difficult to follow.
–Many drugs and treatments have the power to heal but may also have serious side effects.
4. Confidentiality
• Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
–Mandates privacy and confidentiality of medical records
• Health care professionals are in the most likely position to violate confidentiality rules.
5. Justice
• What is due an individual
–Many would argue that everyone is entitled to health care regardless of ability to pay for the care.
–Others argue that people must take responsibility for their actions before assuming they can have justice.
6. Role Fidelity
• Being faithful to the scope of the services for which you are licensed
• Health care practitioners have a specific scope of practice for which they are licensed.
–Practitioners must be true to their roles and not practice in an area in which they are not licensed.
7. Veracity
• Truth-telling
–Has always had an ambiguous place in the health care practitioner’s world
• Consider the role of placebos
