The ASBH Code of Ethics for Healthcare Professionals

Role of Health Professionals
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Institutional Affiliate
Role of Health Professionals
Healthcare professionals acquire their core competencies through academic qualification, training, and relevant licensing to practice or perform healthcare services across the different medical fields towards the delivery of quality and safe patient care. Effective delivery of medical services is dependent on the integration of a set of moral values and principles guiding the conduct of healthcare professionals in discharging their medical mandates. The set of moral values and principles, also known as a Code of Ethics, are characteristic of the core competencies required for the delivery of quality care within a given field of practice. It is important for both the health and allied health professionals to perform their medical services within the set ethical frameworks for the achievement of the desired patient outcomes. Allied health professionals such as healthcare ethics consultants (HCECs), for an instant, offer their services under the guidance of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) Code of Ethics. The ASBH code of ethics provides the ethical values and principles that HCECs should follow in offering their feedback to patients, families, healthcare providers, and policymakers towards promoting ethical decision making when presented by ethical dilemmas in health care from the outlined parties. Provided herein is an evaluation and analysis of the ASBH code of ethics for healthcare ethics consultation.
Overview of the ASBH Code of Ethics for HCECs
The ASBH code of ethics for health care ethics consultation addresses both the ethical and professional responsibilities of delivering health care ethics consultation services to other stakeholders across the healthcare system CITATION Ame14 \l 1033 (American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, 2014). The ethical values and principles guiding HCECs in performing their services as the ASBH code of ethics include being competent, preserving integrity, appropriate management of conflicts of interest and obligation, as well as respect to the privacy and maintaining confidentiality CITATION Ame14 \l 1033 (American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, 2014). The code of ethics also charges healthcare ethics consultants to contribute to the HCEC field, adhere to responsible communication, and promote equality in the delivery of health care in HCEC CITATION Ame14 \l 1033 (American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, 2014). Among the major areas covered by the code of ethics includes its emphasis on the acquisition of core competencies required for effective delivery of the HCEC services through education and training CITATION Ame11 \l 1033 (American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, 2011). Such competencies function to ensure that HCECs adhere to the standards of service delivery in the profession. It highlights the pre-requisite individual obligations for practicing healthcare ethics consultation and marinating the profession’s set standard of operation. Preser...