Ethical Principles in Healthcare Every Med Student Should Know

Ethical principles are at the heart of medical practice. When most medical students graduate, they swear an oath committing to the highest standards of professional conduct. Central to these promises? Ethics.

Whether you’re preparing for medical school interviews or you’re in the final months of your medical training, understanding these ethical principles of healthcare can help you on your way.

1. Patient privacy

Ethical principles in medicine place a strong emphasis on patient privacy.

While the Healthcare Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) has "become the face of patient privacy guidelines" over the past two decades, the concept has existed for much longer than that.

It dates back to 400 BC and the Hippocratic Oath which includes the provision:

"What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about."

Today, the healthcare industry continues to address issues related to protecting patient information and their right to privacy.

Doctors must adhere to all policies, procedures, and laws designed to safeguard patient privacy and confidentiality and must ensure their staff do the same.

An accidental or intentional disclosure of protected health information (PHI) is a HIPAA violation which can lead to steep fines and even loss of your license.

2. Patient autonomy

Another ethical principle of importance is autonomy.

This principle asserts that patients ultimately control what's good and bad for them. Depending on the circumstances, this can be harder than it sounds.

US News & World Report explains, "In essence, the physician provides information and it is up to the patient to make the decision. However, an important caveat to autonomy is that a physician must also make sure the patient has decision-making capacity – meaning they must be cognitively aware enough to make a sound decision."

This can be harder than it sounds, especially when you factor in an aging population and increasing incidences of dementia, mental illness, and other conditions that can interfere with everyday decision-making.

3. Justice

Ethical principles in healthcare also highlight the importance of justice as a key consideration.

Alzheimer Europe explains, "The principle of justice could be described as the moral obligation to act on the basis of fair adjudication between competing claims. As such, it is linked to fairness, entitlement and equality."

As with patient autonomy, while this may seem like a simple proposition, it can be much more challenging in the real world.

Alzheimer Europe explains that the right to be treated equally can be found in many constitutions, but in reality, a number of different factors may influence actual access to treatment, factors such as:

• Age
• Place of residence
• Social status
• Ethnic background
• Culture
• Sexual preferences
• Disability
• Legal capacity
• Hospital budgets
• Insurance cover
• Prognosis

In particular, patients are increasingly being turned away for economic reasons, a phenomenon that could be viewed as in direct contrast to this fundamental precept of medicine.

4. Accountability

Ethical principles in healthcare also emphasize the responsibility of medical professionals to uphold accountability within their field.

The American Medical Association's (AMA) code of medical ethics specifies that physicians are obligated to report incompetent or unethical conduct by others, including their colleagues, as part of their commitment to safeguarding the welfare of patients.

"Reporting a colleague who is incompetent or who engages in unethical behavior is intended not only to protect patients, but also to help ensure that colleagues receive appropriate assistance from a physician health program or other service to be able to practice safely and ethically," explains the AMA.

Unfortunately, according to Medscape, most doctors—as many as four out of five—are reluctant to report their peers. However, experts say failing to do so is akin to waiting for a piece of faulty equipment to fall on a patient before reporting it.

Conclusion

Ethical principles are rarely clear-cut, but learning to navigate them is fundamental to practicing medicine today.

Your ability to think critically, consider multiple viewpoints, and seek balanced solutions shows your understanding of medical ethics while also reflecting empathy, professionalism, and the perspective that defines a truly great physician.