Ethics in Healthcare

Which statement best defines ethics in the context of society?

• Personal preferences about right and wrong

• Standards of conduct guiding decisions and actions based on moral principles shared by the majority of society

• Legal rules created by government only

• Religious rituals followed by a small group

Ethics provide an outline for acceptable behavior. Why is understanding ethics important?

• It helps people avoid all consequences

• It is an important part of being a productive member of society

• It ensures everyone agrees on everything

• It replaces the need for laws

Which phrase completes the idea: Ethics are standards of conduct that guide decisions and actions _______.

• based on personal gain

• based on moral principles shared by most of society

• only when someone is watching

• mainly to avoid punishment

Match each term with its correct description.

• Outline provided by ethics for how people should act

• Ethics

• Standards of conduct based on widely shared moral principles

• Integrity

• Quality of being honest and consistently adhering to ethical and moral principles

• Acceptable behavior

Integrity is the quality of being honest and adhering to ethical and moral principles consistently. What does consistently mean in this context?

• Only when consequences are severe

• Regardless of the situation or possible consequences

• Only in public settings

• When others tell you to

Why is integrity important for society?

• It makes rules unnecessary

• It provides trust needed for peaceful coexistence and a functional society

• It ensures perfect agreement among all people

• It guarantees higher income

Which action most clearly demonstrates integrity, according to the material?

• Breaking a rule when no one notices

• Following rules only when supervised

• Following rules even when violations are unlikely to be noticed

• Doing whatever benefits you most

Which statement best defines unethical behavior in health sciences?

• Actions that are forbidden by law

• Actions falling outside of what is considered acceptable

• Actions approved by professional boards

• Actions always resulting in jail time

Which statement accurately distinguishes unethical from illegal behavior?

• Unethical behavior is always illegal.

• Illegal behavior is considered acceptable by society.

• Unethical behavior may or may not be illegal, while illegal behavior is forbidden by law.

• Illegal behavior has no legal consequences.

Match each term to its correct description.

• May fall outside what is considered acceptable

• Punishable by law

• Requires legal processes such as a trial to determine guilt

• Unethical behavior

• Action forbidden by law

• Illegal behavior