Applied Ethics
the practical application of moral standards to the conduct of individuals involved in organizations
Autonomy
Right of an individual to make this or her own independent decisions
Beneficence
Describes the principle of doing good, demonstrating kindness, and helping others
Bioethics
also called biomedical ethics; the moral dilemmas and issues of advanced medicine and medical research
Code of ethics
Certain 'values' and moral standards written into a formal document
Commitment
is the basis of morality
Compassion
is the deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
Conscientiousness
having moral integrity and a strict regard for doing what is considered the right thing to do.
Consequential theory
A moral theory that determines good or bad, right or wrong, based on good outcomes or consequences.
Cooperation
the process of working with others
Courage
is the mental or moral strength to persevere and withstand danger.
Deontological ethics
focuses on one's duties to others. It includes telling the truth and keeping your promises. Deontology is an ethical analysis according to a moral code or rules.
Descriptive ethics
also known as comparative ethics, deals with what people believe to be right and wrong.
Detachment
or lack of concern for the patient's needs
Distributive justice
is a principal requiring that all persons be treated equally and fairly.
Discernment
is the ability to make a good decision without personal biases, fears, and undue influences from others.
Employment-related paternalism
at its best is shared and cooperative style of management in which the employer recognizes and considers employee rights when making decisions in the workplace.
Ethical principles
are universal rules of conduct, derived from ethical theories that provide a practical basis for identifying what kinds of actions, intentions, and motives are valued.
Ethical relativism
is the theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms of one's culture.
Ethical theories
and principles introduce order into the way people think about life.
Ethics
A set of principles of right and wrong conduct; a theory or system of moral values, of what is right and what is wrong. Ethics is a system of values that guides behavior in relationships among people in accordance with certain social rules.
Fairness
is the ability to make judgement free from discrimination, dishonesty, one's own bias
Fidelity
loyalty and faithfulness to others
Freedom
is the quality of being free to make choices for oneself within the boundaries of law.
Honesty
and trust involve confidence that a person will act with the right motives.
Hopefulness
in the patient care setting involves looking forward to something with the confidence of success.
Instrumental value
is something that helps to give value to something else (e.g. money is valuable for what it can buy)
Integrity
the unwavering adherence to one's principles; dedication to maintaining high standards
Intrinsic value
is something that has value in and of it's self (e.g. happiness)
Justice
The obligation to be fair in the distribution of benefits and risks
Kindness
involves the quality of being considerate and sympathetic to another's needs.
Macroethics
involves a more generalized view of right and wrong.
Medical paternalism
involves making choices for (or forcing choices on) patients who are capable of choosing for themselves. It directly violates patient autonomy.
Metaethics
The study of ethical concepts
Microethics
involves an individual's view of what is right and wrong based on his or her life experiences.
Moral dilemmas
in the health care setting often arise when values, rights, duties, and loyalties conflict.
Moral judgements
those judgments concerned with what an individual or group believes to be the right or proper behavior in a given situation.
Morality
the quality of being virtuous or practicing the right conduct
Moral values
is the relative worth placed on some virtuous behavior
Nonconsequential ethical theory
denies that the consequences of an action or rule are the only criteria for determining the morality of an action or rule.
Nonmaleficence
means "first do no harm
Normative ethics
is the attempt to determine what moral standards should be followed so that human behavior and conduct may be morally right.
Paternalism
A doctrine that literally means "rule by the father." In health care, it is the concept of physicians making decisions for their patients, whereas the more acceptable approach is autonomy, whereby the physician informs the patient as to the risks, benefit
Religious ethics
serves a moral purpose by providing codes of conduct for appropriate behavior through revelations from a divine source.
Respect
is an attitude of admiration or esteem.
Secular ethics
is based on codes developed by societies that have relied on custom to formulate their code
Situational ethics
describes how a particular situation may influence how one's reaction and values may change in order to cope with changing circumstances.
Spirituality
implies that there is purpose and meaning to life, spirituality generally refers to faith in a higher being.
Tolerance
respect for those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, or nationality differ from our own
Truth telling
involves providing enough information so that a patient can make an informed decision about his or her health care.
Values
is something that has worth.
Veracity
is devotion to and conformity with what is truthful
Virtue ethics
focuses on the inherent character of a person rather than on the specific actions he or she performs.
Virtues
is normally defined as some sort of moral excellence or beneficial quality. In traditional ethics, virtues are characteristics that differentiate good people from bad people.