Ethical behaviors are behaviors that are established to ensure that a patient is respected, treated fairly, and kept unharmed while under the care of an organization. Legal behaviors are behaviors that should be adhered to under laws and regulations set by the state or federal government. Moral behaviors are derived from personal beliefs about what is right or wrong. Morals differ from person to person depending on their culture or upbringing.
Our ethical obligations as healthcare workers are to act in the best interest of our patients. We should follow the general principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice, in order to fulfill our ethical obligations as healthcare workers (Bustillos and Vellek, 2019). Ensuring that patients have a right of choice with their bodies, abstaining from doing harm to them, and treating them as we would want to be treated are all obligations we should uphold as healthcare workers. An example of this is if a patient came in and was a criminal, we are still obligated to treat them with respect and care for them the same way as any other patient.
Legal obligations are the laws, regulations, and standards imposed by the state and federal governments or the organization in which a healthcare worker is a part of, that they must follow. An example of this is HIPPA. This law was enacted to protect patients’ privacy, prevent fraud, and protect insurance coverage for workers and their families (Edemekong et al., 2024). Moral obligations are principles that sway and individual to behave ethically. Making sure that we care for patients and protect them are our moral obligations. An example of this a healthcare worker advocating for patients when they are aware of risks to a patient’s health.
Bustillos, D., & Vellek, S. (2019). Health care ethics and medical law.
Bridgepoint Education.
Edemekong P., Annamaraju P, Haydel M. (2024). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500019/
