Health Care Ethics 1

HEALTH CARE ETHICS
ETHICS- comes from the Greek word “ethikos” which means moral duty
-is philosophical and practical science that deals with the study of the morality of the human ACTS or
human CONDUCT
-ethics comprises data on the morality of human acts that are put together and arranged in ORDER
along with the causes and reasons
AUTONOMY – the highest form of principle
ETHICS AS A PHILOSOPHY
-ethics deals with the ultimate of the CAUSE, PRINCIPLE, and TRUTH concerning the morality of human
conduct in the light of human reason alone.
ETHICS AS A PRACTICAL SCIENCE
-Ethics deals with the study of that which is to be acted upon
HEALTH ETHICS
-it is the study of the morality of human conduct concerning HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE
-employed ….. human conduct in the PRACTICE OF HEALTH CARE
 HEALTH CARE – PREVENTION, TREATMENT, and MANAGEMENT of illness and the preservation
of mental and physical well-being through the services by the medical and allied health
profession
 MORALITY - quality of human acts could be either GOOD or RIGHT, EVIL or WRONG
 What makes good good?
 What makes evil evil?
 What makes reason RIGHT?
-if the reason is UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTABLE
 ETHICS – pertains to the knowledge of what to study about

 MORALITY – pertains to the application of this knowledge in the performance of human act
NORMS OF MORALITY
NORMS – sets of directives that guide us in making decisions on what we ought to do or to be
CONCEPTS ON DIFFERENT NORMS OF MORALITY
-Norms are purely INTERNAL
-Norms based on current OPINIONS AND CUSTOMS
-Norms of EXPEDIENCY
-Norms of PREFERENCE
DIFFERENT NATURE OF HUMAN ACTS
HUMAN ACT- is an act that proceeds from the deliberate freewill of man
ELEMENTS OF HUMAN ACT:
 KNOWLEDGE - act is done in the light of the agent’s knowing faculty

 FREEDOM – the act is performed in accordance with and not against the will
 VOLUNTARINESS – means the act done by the agent is INTENTIONAL
-it proceeds from the employment of knowledge and freedom
IS HEALTH CARE PRACTICE HUMAN ACT?
-yes because the 3 constitute elements are at work
ACT OF MAN – act that doesn’t not proceed from the deliberate free will of man
-the three elements of human act are NOT PRESENT
1. ELEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE – not deliberately done
-the agent is NOT AWARE and NOT COUNSCIOUS of what he is doing and what it menas
2. NO ELEMENT OF FREEDOM – not freely done
-the power of FREE WILL to determine the act it chooses to elicit or not is NOT INVOKE and
EMPLOYED
3. NO ELEMENT OF VOLUNTARINESS – it does not proceed from BOTH KNOWLEDGE AND

FREEDOM
-it is and INVOLUNTARY ACT
DIFFERENT DEGREES OF VOLUNTARINESS OF HUMAN ACTS
1. PERFECT AND IMPERFECT
PERFECT VOLUNTARINESS: the agent doing the act FULLY KNOWS and FULLY INTENDS the act
IMPERFECT VOLUNTARINESS: it is present when there is SOME DEFECT in the agent’s KNOWLEDGE
or INTENTION or is BOTH
2. SIMPLE AND CONDITIONAL
SIMPLE: pertains to an act done for it is simply INTENDED or undone for simply it is NOT INTENDED
CONDITIONAL: it is present if the agent wish to do something other than that which he is actually
doing
-but doing it with REPUGNANCE/DISLIKE
3. DIRECT AND INDIRECT
DIRECT: present in human act willed in ITSELF

-the act is DIRECTLY WILLED to attain an end which is NECESSARY
INDIRECT: is an act … as ….. that is NOT DIRECTLY WILLED or INTENDED, of an act which is directly
willed serving as its cause
-the said effect is capable of being FORESEEN
4. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
POSITIVE: is representing in the human act of DOING and of PERFORMING
-refers to ACT OF COMMISSION
NEGATIVE: is present in the human act or OMISSION.REFRAINING FROM DOING
-act of OMISSION
5. ACTUAL, VIRTUAL, HABITUAL
ACTUAL: is present in the human act willed HERE and NOW
VIRTUAL: is present in the human act done as a result or by virtue or a formerly elicited actual
intention , even if that intention be here and now FORGOTTEN
-the intention that has been made previously has …. that endures even if forgotten
HABITUAL: is present in the human act done in HARMONY with, but not as a result of a formerly
elicited and unrevoked actual intention

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HEALTH CARE ETHICS

AUTONOMY – the highest form of principle

ETHICS AS A PRACTICAL SCIENCE

-Ethics deals with the study of that which is to be acted upon

-employed ….. human conduct in the PRACTICE OF HEALTH CARE

-if the reason is UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTABLE

 ETHICS – pertains to the knowledge of what to study about

NORMS – sets of directives that guide us in making decisions on what we ought to do or to be

CONCEPTS ON DIFFERENT NORMS OF MORALITY

-Norms are purely INTERNAL

-Norms based on current OPINIONS AND CUSTOMS

ELEMENTS OF HUMAN ACT:

 KNOWLEDGE - act is done in the light of the agent’s knowing faculty

-it proceeds from the employment of knowledge and freedom

IS HEALTH CARE PRACTICE HUMAN ACT?

-yes because the 3 constitute elements are at work

-the three elements of human act are NOT PRESENT

1. ELEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE – not deliberately done

2. NO ELEMENT OF FREEDOM – not freely done

3. NO ELEMENT OF VOLUNTARINESS – it does not proceed from BOTH KNOWLEDGE AND

-it is and INVOLUNTARY ACT

DIFFERENT DEGREES OF VOLUNTARINESS OF HUMAN ACTS

1. PERFECT AND IMPERFECT

2. SIMPLE AND CONDITIONAL

-but doing it with REPUGNANCE/DISLIKE

3. DIRECT AND INDIRECT

DIRECT: present in human act willed in ITSELF

-the said effect is capable of being FORESEEN

4. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

POSITIVE: is representing in the human act of DOING and of PERFORMING

-refers to ACT OF COMMISSION

NEGATIVE: is present in the human act or OMISSION.REFRAINING FROM DOING

5. ACTUAL, VIRTUAL, HABITUAL

ACTUAL: is present in the human act willed HERE and NOW

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