Ethical Foundations in Healthcare

Healthcare professionals face ethical dilemmas every day of their professional lives. Ethical decision-making is an important part of the care they provide to their patients and clients. A sound understanding of key ethical issues helps healthcare providers make appropriate ethical decisions during the course of their care.

Purpose/Goal The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the theories and foundations of ethics that support sound decision making during the provision of care.

Course Objectives – Upon completion you will be able to do the following:

1. Define key principles in ethical decision-making.
2. Identify patients’ rights and the healthcare provider’s role in ethical decision-making.
3. Describe the legal and ethical foundation for a healthcare provider’s duty to report illegal, unethical, or unsafe conduct.
4. List steps to ensure the proper reporting of illegal, unethical, or unsafe conduct and identify risks associated with reporting or not reporting the conduct.