Ethical principles
- Autonomy emphasizes the status of persons as autonomous moral agents whose rights to determine their destinies should always be respected.
- Beneficence refers to one’s duty to benefit or promote the good of others.
- Nonmaleficence is abstaining from negative acts toward another; includes acting carefully to avoid harm.
- Justice: Principle based on the notion of a hypothetical social contract between free, equal, and rational persons. The concept of justice reflects a duty to treat all individuals equally and fairly.
- Veracity: Principle that refers to one’s duty to always be truthful and not intentionally deceive or mislead clients.
Patient right’s
- The right to treatment- Anyone admitted into the hospital has a right to be treated
- The right to refuse treatment (including medication), however this right is put aside if the treatment requires immediate intervention to prevent self-harm or harm to others, or death.
- The right to the least restrictive treatment alternative where the clients who can be adequately treated in an outpatient setting should not be hospitalized, but if they need hospitalization they should not be sedated, restrained, or secluded unless less restrictive measures where not successful.
- Types of laws include
- Statutory law- passed by the legislature body
- Common law- decisions developed from previous cases
- Civil law: Protects the private and property rights of individuals and businesses
Torts- violations of civil law where individual has been wronged
Contracts- a party asserts that the other party is failing to fulfil an obligation or breached the contract, or either compensation.
- Criminal law: Provides protection from conduct deemed injurious to the public welfare
