Lecture 3

Values & principles of

professional ethics
By
Dr. Hala Yehia

Objective

Define value
Identify attitude
List component of attitude
Define beliefs
Types of value
Nursing value & responsibilities
Value clarification
Identify principles of ethics

Ethics
Ethics deals with the rightness or
wrongness of human behavior

Concepts of Ethics
Values
Belief systems
Morality

Value
Value is a attitude or belief about the
importance of a goal, action , object.
Or
Enduring attitudes or beliefs about the worth
of a person, object, idea, or action

 A. attitudes

a feeling or an emotion, generally

including a positive or negative judgment,
toward a person, object, idea, or action

(e.g., acceptance, compassion)

 B. beliefs
Beliefs (or opinions) are interpretations or
conclusions that people accept as true.
They are based more on faith than fact and
may or may not be true.
Life and death
Good and evil
Health and illness

Value Formation
Values are learned
Values change with maturity and
experience

Types of values
a. religious (obtains strength from religious beliefs)
b. theoretical (holds truth, rationality, and
respectable)
c. political (values power)
d. economic (values usefulness and practicality)
e. aesthetic (values beauty, harmony, and form)
f. social (values human interactions, is kind,
sympathetic, and unselfish)

Values Transmission
Values are learned through observation and
experience. As a result, they are heavily
influenced by a person's sociocultural
environment that is, by societal traditions; by
cultural, and religious groups; and by family
and peer groups.
For example, if a parent consistently
demonstrates honesty in dealing with others,
the child will probably begin to value honesty.

Nursing values:

Safe & competent

Health & well being
Choice
Dignity
Confidentiality
Justice
Accountability

Values clarification
It is a process by which people identify,
examine, and develop their own individual
values.
Values clarification promotes personal
growth by fostering awareness, empathy,
and insight. Therefore, it is an important
step for nurses to take in dealing with
ethical problems.

Values Clarification
Choosing
Choosing (cognitive) Beliefs are
chosen Freely, without outside
pressure From among alternatives

Values Clarification
Prizing
Prizing (affective) Chosen beliefs are
prized
Acting
Acting (behavioral) Chosen beliefs are
Repeated consistently in one's life

Ethical Principles

Autonomy
Beneficence
Nonmaleficence
Justice
Fidelity
Confidentiality
Veracity
Accountability

Autonomy
Autonomy
Greek word AUTOS meaning self and nomos
meaning governance - Self determination
Freedom to choose and implement ones
decision
Informed consent
Allowing the patient to refuse treatment if he
decides so

Beneficence
This principle means doing good for
others.
"Do good and avoid harm.

Nonmaleficence
Non means not and mal means
bad. Non-maleficence means not
to do or inflict harm.
To do no harm
o Not assisting in or performing
abortion

Justice
Referred to as fairness
Every individual must be treated equally
This requires nurses to be nonjudgmental

Fidelity
means to be faithful to agreements and
promises
Loyalty
The promise to fulfill all commitments

Confidentiality
Anything stated to nurses or health-care
providers by clients must remain
confidential
The only times this principle may be
violated are:
If clients may indicate harm to themselves or
others
If the client gives permission for the information
to be shared

Veracity

Refers to telling the truth.

This principle implies truthfulness
Nurses need to be truthful to their clients
Veracity is an important component of
building trusting relationships

Accountability
Individuals need to be responsible for their
own actions
Nurses are accountable to themselves and
to their colleagues

Thank You