What is Ethics?
Medical Ethics
Lecturer: Dan Omollo
What is Ethics? Ethics Dilemmas
• Ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect Ethics covers the following dilemmas:
how people make decisions and lead their lives.
• how to live a good life
• Ethics is concerned with what is good for • our rights and responsibilities
individuals and society and is also described as • the language of right and wrong
moral philosophy.
• moral decisions - what is good and bad?
1
, Basic principles of medical
What is Medical Ethics?
ethics
• Medical ethics • A) respect for patient autonomy.
• b) not inflicting harm on patients.
is a system of moral principles that • c) a positive duty to contribute to the
apply values and judgments to the welfare of patients .
practice of medicine. • d) justice or fair treatment of patients.
Ethics and Morality
Why Ethics Become Important?
What are they?
• Nowadays, conflicts of interests between the government and
medical institutions, between medical institutions and medical The terms ethics and morality are often used interchangeably -
personnel, between physicians and patients are getting more and indeed, they usually can mean the same thing, and in casual
more serious and complex. conversation there isn't a problem with switching between
• High technologies not only brought us hopes of cure but have also one and the other.
created a heavy economic burden.
• The ethical dilemmas of high technology medicine-brain death,
However, there is a distinction between them in philosophy!
organ transplantation, and concerns about quality of life-have
become increasingly prominent.
• A new and more specific code of ethics must be developed to meet
the demands of social development and medical service.
• This new code integrates the traditional medical ethics with modern
principles and values
2
Medical Ethics
Lecturer: Dan Omollo
What is Ethics? Ethics Dilemmas
• Ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect Ethics covers the following dilemmas:
how people make decisions and lead their lives.
• how to live a good life
• Ethics is concerned with what is good for • our rights and responsibilities
individuals and society and is also described as • the language of right and wrong
moral philosophy.
• moral decisions - what is good and bad?
1
, Basic principles of medical
What is Medical Ethics?
ethics
• Medical ethics • A) respect for patient autonomy.
• b) not inflicting harm on patients.
is a system of moral principles that • c) a positive duty to contribute to the
apply values and judgments to the welfare of patients .
practice of medicine. • d) justice or fair treatment of patients.
Ethics and Morality
Why Ethics Become Important?
What are they?
• Nowadays, conflicts of interests between the government and
medical institutions, between medical institutions and medical The terms ethics and morality are often used interchangeably -
personnel, between physicians and patients are getting more and indeed, they usually can mean the same thing, and in casual
more serious and complex. conversation there isn't a problem with switching between
• High technologies not only brought us hopes of cure but have also one and the other.
created a heavy economic burden.
• The ethical dilemmas of high technology medicine-brain death,
However, there is a distinction between them in philosophy!
organ transplantation, and concerns about quality of life-have
become increasingly prominent.
• A new and more specific code of ethics must be developed to meet
the demands of social development and medical service.
• This new code integrates the traditional medical ethics with modern
principles and values
2
