Med

• Rights

  • Civil: basic legal rights held by all US citizens
  • Constitutional: rights afforded by all citizens through the US Constitution
  • Human: fundamental rights of all people regardless of citizenship status
• Law reflects the values of an entire society.


  Ethics reflects the values of a certain group.
• Types of Laws:

  • Public law: issues between government and citizens
  • Civil law: issues between private citizen and private citizen
  • Common law: traditional civil law of area based on judge’s rulings
  • Statutory law: enacted by legislators & enforced by the courts
  • Tort law: wrongful act that results in harm & requires restitution
• Legal Terms:

  • False imprisonment - any attempt to restrain or restrict a person's freedom.
  • Invasion of Privacy - intentionally exposing a pt or revealing PHI
  • Assault - a threat or attempt is made to touch a pt w/o consent.
  • Battery - when a non-consenting patient is touched
  • Negligence - careless or senseless behavior resulting in harm
  • Malpractice - Illegal, unethical, negligent or immoral behavior resulting in failure of duties
  • Defamation of Character - “False or malicious statements that harm a person’s reputation. (Libel - written / Slander - spoken)
• Protecting Rights:

  • Good Samaritan Laws
  • Informed Consent
  • Implied Consent
  • HIPAA
• 7 Principles of Health Care Ethics:

  • Autonomy - Patient has right to make their own decisions
  • Beneficence - Care should benefit the patient
  • Maleficence - Do no harm
  • Justice - What is fair to all patients and society
  • Confidentiality - Protection of personal information
  • Veracity - Truth telling
  • Role Fidelity - Follow job description: work within credientials
• Ethical Decision-making:

  • Rational & Systemic
  • Based on ethical principles, not emotions or intuition
  • Serves patient's best interest
  • Preserves integrity of all involved.
• Professionalism:

  • A set of values, behaviors, and relationships that form a foundation on which patient and colleague trust is formed.
  • Self-regulation
  • Lifelong learning
  • Adherence to legal & ethical guidelines
• Ethics: A set of guidelines that helps determine right or wrong behavior
• Malpractice: Illegal, unethical, negligent or immoral behavior resulting in failure of duties
• HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act