Unit #4 – Medical
Ethics
Cecile M. Sanders, M.Ed.,
MLS(ASCP)CM
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 What
is “ethics”?
– According to the American College
Dictionary, “ethics” means:
1. The principles of morality, including both the
science of the good and the nature of the right
2. The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a
particular class of human actions, as in “medical
ethics”
3. Moral principles, as of an individual
4. The science of the human character in its ideal
state
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 In
a nutshell, “ethics” means doing what
is right.
 So, what is “right”?
 “Right” depends on your values
 “Values”, in terms of societal
interaction, refer to the ideals and
customs toward which a person or group
of person has a positive regard.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 “Values”
can be a positive thing, like
cleanliness, freedom, education, etc. or
a negative thing, like cruelty, crime, or
blasphemy.
 What are YOUR values?
 One can hardly argue with things like
cleanliness, freedom or education, but
we all know there are people who don’t
value these things.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 In
some cultures, freedom is not
important.
 In some cultures, it is OK to send
suicide bombers into a crowd of
innocent people just because they are
trying to make a point or disagree with
others’ values.
 So, again, what are YOUR values?
Unit #4
Medical Ethics

Here are things that many people value:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Honesty
Integrity
Freedom
Loyalty
Life
Friendship
Family
Timeliness
Hard-work
Truthfulness
Religion
Etc., etc., etc.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 All
of us have values even though we
may not know it or admit it to ourselves.
 Sometimes our values don’t make
themselves apparent until we are
confronted with a tough issue or
decision.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 For
instance:
– If you value honesty,
 Is
it OK to keep extra money that a store clerk
has returned to you accidentally?
 Is it OK to call in sick when you are not?
 Is it OK to “fudge” laboratory results when you
need to leave work to pick up your children at
day care?
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 If
you value life,
– Is it OK to have an abortion?
– Is it OK to disconnect a feeding tube from
a comatose patient?
– Is it OK to bomb innocent people?
– Is it OK to have capital punishment?
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 If
you value friendship,
– Is it OK to tell a friend a lie?
– Is it OK to turn a friend in to the police if
he has committed a crime?
I
think you get the idea that although
one may say they hold a certain value
doesn’t mean that they would always act
to hold that value.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics

Most professions have established a Code of
Conduct or a Code of Ethics for people in the
field
– Example: Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath,
Nurses take the Florence Nightingale Oath
– The American Society for Clinical Laboratory
Sciences has established a Code of Ethics for
clinical laboratory professionals. It can be found
at
http://www.ascls.org/?page=Code
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 The
ASCLS Code of Ethics basically
states that all laboratory professionals
have:
– I. Duty to the Patient
– II. Duty to Colleagues and the Profession
– III. Duty to Society
Unit #4
Medical Ethics

ASCLS Pledge to the Profession
As a clinical laboratory professional, I strive to:
– Maintain and promote standards of excellence in
performing and advancing the art and science of my
profession
– Preserve the dignity and privacy of others
– Uphold and maintain the dignity and respect of our
profession
– Seek to establish cooperative and respectful working
relationships with other health professionals
– Contribute to the general well being of the community.
I will actively demonstrate my commitment to these
responsibilities throughout my professional life.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
The ASCLS Code of Ethics and Pledge to the
Profession can serve as a “moral compass” to
guide clinical laboratory professionals in their
jobs and even in their interactions with
friends and family.
 Decision-making can be tough in any situation,
but particularly tough when you are a recent
graduate or when you are the only person
working in the lab when a decision is needed.

Unit #4
Medical Ethics

Here is one of many decision-making models,
based on personal and/or professional values:
– 1. State the problem
– 2. Determine personal or professional values
regarding the problem
– 3. List the possible alternative solutions to the
problem
– 4. Frame a choice from the possible alternative
solutions and compare it with personal or
professional values
– 5. List the short and long term consequences of
the choice
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 Example
of using the Value-Based
Decision-Making Model
– The Lead MLT is the only staff person left
in the lab on a Saturday evening. Two
technicians arrive for the midnight shift.
One of the technicians seems to be under
the influence of something; her gait is
unsteady and her speech is slurred.
– What to do?
Unit #4
Medical Ethics

Example of using the Value-Based DecisionMaking Model (cont’d)
– Using the Decision-Making Model outlined on slide
#15, this is what the Lead MLT decided:
 1.
The problem is that this midnight tech might be
drunk or under the influence of some drug and her
ability to function may be impaired.
 2. The Lead MLT values excellent patient care and
accurate laboratory testing. He also values
maintaining a good working relationship with the
midnight tech and her friendship. Too, he values his
free time and a good night’s sleep.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 Example
of using the Value-Based
Decision-Making Model (cont’d)
 3.
The Lead MLT could:
– A. Stay for a double shift, assigning the midnight
MLT to harmless tasks
– B. He could warn the other midnight tech about this
possibly impaired MLT, leave, and hope for the best
– C. He could call his supervisor for a decision
– D. He could ignore the situation and hope for the best
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 Example
of using the Value-Based
Decision-Making Model (cont’d)
 4.
This Lead MLT chose alternative D (ignored
the situation and hoped for the best). He
decided that his friendship with this person and
maintaining a good working relationship with her,
along with wanting his free time and a good
night’s sleep, was priority.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 Example
of using the Value-Based
Decision-Making Model (cont’d)
 5.
Short-term consequences of his decision
include:
– A. The Lead MLT could go home and not work a double
shift.
– B. His supervisor would not have to be disturbed.
– C. The impaired employee could work with no
reprimands.
 6.
Long- term consequences are that laboratory
errors could affect patient care.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics
 Example
of using the Value-Based
Decision-Making Model (cont’d)
– Is this the decision you would have made?
Maybe, maybe not. It is difficult to know
until you are actually in that situation.
Unit #4
Medical Ethics

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In the Assignment for this Unit, go to http://virtualmentor.amaassn.org/
On the home page for this website, click the “Past Issues” tab
at the top of the page.
Scroll down to 2008, April, “Medical Care for US Immigrants”
and click.
Take the Poll in the grey box. Click the “Vote” button at the
bottom to view the results.
Copy and paste the results of the poll in a Word document AND,
using the 5 step decision-making model in this PowerPoint,
outline the steps you used to arrive at your voting results ONLY
for whether illegal immigrants should be eligible for the
following government-subsidized medical interventions.
Send the Assignment to the instructor by the scheduled
deadline.