Ethics in Health Care: Implications for Education and Practice.

Facing an ethical dilemma in the health care setting can unfortunately be all too familiar. The ways in which a practitioner approaches ethical problem resolution are derived from many sources—including professional codes of ethics, personal values and morals, and employer influences. Pressures resulting from a business-oriented approach to health care delivery are common and can seriously affect patient safety and employee satisfaction. Essential ingredients for a principled approach, especially in the face of forces working against ethical behavior, are discussed, and implications for appropriate elements in ethics education addressed. This framework for thinking about ethical behavior recognizes and reviews the relationship between ethics and quality of health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]