By ;: Malik Shahroz Akber

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

The four major ethical principles in healthcare are:

• Beneficence

• Non-maleficience

• Respect for autonomy

• Justice

THE FOUR ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

BeneficenceStriving to do good and to do the best for every patientThe practitioner has a duty of care to every patient

Non-maleficience Requires balancing risks and benefits of treatment and making

decisions that will optimize the benefits and minimize the risks of harm

THE FOUR ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

Respect for autonomyRequires a practitioner to respect the choices and decisions that

a patient makes about his/her own health Involves keeping the patients informed of their condition,

treatment choices and options so that decisions made are based on pertinent facts

Justice Includes deciding how much time is spent on a patient, how

many and what types of resources are devoted to treatment of that patient and how this compares to the time and resources distributed to other patients

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

• In addition to the four ethical principles the following ethical principles have been included to form the ethical principles that should guide optometric practice :

• Principles of confidentiality

• Protection of the vulnerable

• Collegiality

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

Principles of confidentiality

Non-disclosure of patient details and health records

• To respect the privacy and preserve the dignity of each patient

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

Protection of the vulnerable Standing up for the rights of those who may be unable to speak

or act for themselves Children, the frail elderly, and patients who are unable to make decisions for

themselves

CollegialityCalls for support of colleagues and fellow practitioners and

professionals Mutual respect & understanding for fellow optometrists, for other

professionals and for their respective roles in the health care team

THE CODE OF ETHICS

HTTP://WWW.AOA.ORG/X4878.XML

It shall be the ideal, resolve, and duty of all optometrists: TO KEEP their patients' eye, vision, and general health paramount

at all times; TO RESPECT the rights and dignity of patients regarding their

health care decisions; TO ADVISE their patients whenever consultation with, or referral to

another optometrist or other health professional is appropriate; TO ENSURE confidentiality and privacy of patients' protected

health and other personal information; TO STRIVE to ensure that all persons have access to eye, vision,

and general health care;

THE CODE OF ETHICS

• TO ADVANCE their professional knowledge and proficiency to maintain and expand competence to benefit their patients;

• TO MAINTAIN their practices in accordance with professional health care standards;

• TO PROMOTE ethical and cordial relationships with all members of the health care community;

• TO RECOGNIZE their obligation to protect the health and welfare of society; and

• TO CONDUCT themselves as exemplary citizens and professionals with honesty, integrity, fairness, kindness and compassion

ETHICAL DILEMMAS

• The ethical principles may appear simple to follow and understand

• Yet for each one of them, situations may arise, that will make it difficult to apply these principles

• These principles are essential tools for ethical practice, but if applied too rigidly they can be problematic

• No principle can be applied absolutely