Health Education (CHN211) Lecture 4

Health Education (CHN211) Lecture Notes

• Lecture No. 4
• Lecturer: Dr. Doaa Abd Elhameed, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University

Ethical Principles of Health Education

• Lecture 4
• Ethical principles guide decision-making in complex situations.
• Situations may be complex and/or distressing, lacking simple solutions.
• Decisions may prioritize the best option under the circumstances.
• Decisions might be guided by rules, maximizing the benefit for the majority, or other considerations.

Ethical Principles Definitions

• Ethics: A discipline that addresses what is good, wrong, and moral duty/obligation.

• Ethics: A philosophical study of moral values and rules governing human conduct. It embodies the right course of action for individuals and society.

• Moral: Guiding beliefs about how people should behave.

• Nursing Ethics: The study of ethical issues in nursing practice; evaluation of activities' merits, risks, and societal implications.

Importance of Ethics in Nursing

• A framework for navigating complex situations.

• Sets guidelines/principles for ethical decision-making.

• Regulates relationships between nurses, patients, colleagues, society, and professions.

• Provides standards of practice and professional conduct.

• Fosters fundamental responsibilities for promoting health, restoring health, preventing illness, and alleviating suffering.

• Supports caring attitudes, responsibility, and accountability.

• Encourages respect for values, customs, and religious beliefs.

Basic Ethical Principles of Nursing

• 1. Autonomy: Respecting another person's rights and dignity, facilitating their maximum fulfillment.

  • Right to information, privacy/confidentiality, and appropriate care/treatment.

• 2. Beneficence (doing good): Promoting good for others, preventing harm. Health Education should ensure individuals understand information and its implications. (e.g., providing emergency first aid information to reduce risks).

• 3. Non-maleficence (doing no harm): Avoiding harm to others, especially when linked to informed consent, and medical ethics/procedure; e.g., sterile needles.

• 4. Justice (fairness): Treating others fairly and justly, ensuring equality, considering diverse values and opinions, and respecting people's rights.

• 5. Veracity (truth telling): Being honest; not lying or deceiving others. Some situations may necessitate withholding information for the benefit of other patients to avoid unnecessary distress (e.g., an elderly patient in ICU).

• 6. Confidentiality: An individual's private information shouldn't be shared without permission, upholding privacy rights. Exceptions exist for instances where protecting one person harms another.

• 7. Fidelity: Keeping commitments and honoring promises to clients.

Code of Ethics or Standard of Professional Conduct

• 1. Responsibilities to the Public: Promote, maintain, and improve individual, family, and community health.
• 2. Responsibilities to the Profession: Maintain, improve, and expand professional competence; ethical conduct among colleagues.
• 3. Responsibility in the Delivery of Health Education: Promote integrity and respect rights/confidentiality; sensitivity/awareness of diverse cultures/societies. Evaluation of programs; informed choice for healthy lifestyles.
• 4. Responsibility in Research and Evaluation: Ensure voluntary participation based on informed consent; respect the privacy/rights of participants in research; treat information confidentially.