Association's Code Of Ethics Research Articles

Ethical Considerations for the Treatment of Youth in Foster Care

Mental health clinicians treating youth in foster care face several ethical challenges, such as competence for treating youth in foster care, understanding who can provide informed consent, and confidentiality. However, few articles have addressed these ethical concerns or provided recommendations for clinicians on how to navigate these issues. This article presents a brief summary of the foster care system, an overview of the major ethical challenges clinicians may encounter when treating youth in foster care, areas of the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Code, Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, and American Counseling Association Code of Ethics most germane to the treatment of youth in foster care, and general recommendations for clinicians treating this population.

Ethical social justice: Do the ends justify the means?

AbstractThis article offers an ethical decision‐making model, informed by community psychology values, as a means for guiding psychologists when engaging in social justice‐oriented work. The applicability of this model is demonstrated through a case analysis elucidating how America's psychologists individually and collectively arrived at the decision to endorse torture—ostensibly as a means for preventing terrorism. Critics have wondered how the American Psychological Association succumbed to these involvements, and how to prevent such ethical lapses in the future. Unfortunately, the American Psychological Association's ethical codes fail to provide explicit guidance for psychologists' involvement in social justice work that impacts communities and systems. To address this gap, we present a values‐driven, ethical decision‐making framework that may be used to guide psychologists' future practices. This framework infuses fundamental community psychology values (i.e., caring and compassion; health; self‐determination and participation, human diversity, social justice; and critical reflexivity) into a 9‐step model.

Ethics in College Sexual Assault Research

The persistently high rates of sexual assault on college campuses have led to an increasing demand for a solution to the problem. In response, research in the field is growing rapidly. With any expanding field, proper focus needs to be given to ethical dilemmas that may arise when studying a sensitive topic. College students who have experienced a sexual assault are a highly vulnerable population. As the current literature is limited, this article considers the ethical implications of conducting research with college sexual assault victims. Drawing upon the 2010 American Psychological Association Ethics Code, specific ethical concerns including respect for persons, competence, confidentiality and privacy, and beneficence and nonmaleficence are discussed. Recommendations for researchers studying sexual assault in college students are provided.

Psychotherapy, Parity, and Ethical Utilization Management.

Managed care has long functioned with the assumption of a split in clinical and ethical responsibility for treatment. The insurance company clinician has been seen as owing a primary obligation to the insurance company and its utilization management standards, while the treating clinician is seen as holding primary clinical and ethical responsibility for the patient and the treatment. This article explores the potential impact of mental health parity mandates and recent clarifications of the American Psychiatric Association's ethical code on this split for psychiatrists and other clinicians who develop utilization management standards or serve as utilization reviewers.

Ethical Considerations for Clinicians Treating Victims and Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV), a subcategory of domestic abuse, is a prevalent national health concern that many clinicians will face during their careers. It is important that clinicians become aware of the numerous ethical considerations that are relevant to this population. The existing literature has not yet examined the ethical issues faced by clinicians working with IPV clients through the lens of the most recent American Psychological Association ethics code. This article provides a brief overview of the historical context and the current state of the literature pertaining to IPV. Then it examines the unique ethical challenges associated with the treatment of IPV clients through the American Psychological Association ethics code. Recommendations are provided throughout this article to help clinicians make ethical decisions, maximize the benefits their clients receive from therapy, and minimize violence risk.

보건계열 대학생의 환자 의료 정보 보호에 대한 인식과 수행

Purpose This study aims to identify perception, performance, and the related factors of performance in regards to patients' medical information protection among allied health college students. Methods Four hundred twelve subjects from three colleges located in Jeonbuk and Kyungbuk province consented to participate. Data was collected from November 28 to December 15, 2012. To assess perception and performance in regards to patients' medical information protection, a self-reporting questionnaire was used. Data was analyzed via SPSS 18.0 program. Results The score of perception and performance about patients' medical information protection were 4.07 and 3.56, respectively. All item's scores of performance were significantly lower than those of perception. The perception score was significantly different according to recognition of hospital ethics code (t=1.95, p=.052), and recognition of association ethics code (t=2.88, p=.004). The performance score was significantly different according to gender (t=-3.32, p=001), major (F=14.41, p<.001), clinical practicum hospitals (F=8.22, p<.001), and method of electronic medical record access (F=3.23, p=.023). The factors influencing performance were perception(β=.46, p<.001), duration of clinical practice(β=-.36, p<.001), and gender(β=.09, p=.033). Conclusion In order to improve performance in regards to patients' medical information protection of allied health college students, we should develop ethical education programs and standardize them through multidisciplinary collaboration. Keywords: Public health student, Medical records, Confidentiality, Perception, Performance 주요어: 보건계열 대학생, 환자 의료 ì •ë³´, ì •ë³´ 보호, 인식, 수행

Ethical Issues Encountered by Military Nurses During Wartime.

Military nurses encounter similar issues as civilian nurses in daily practice situations; however, wartime and humanitarian missions may bring unique and difficult ethical dilemmas. While nursing has the American Nurses Association code of ethics to provide a framework to guide ethical practice decisions, conflicts may arise from the unique aspects of nursing within a wartime environment. Understanding those conflicts occuring within the military wartime scenario can provide nurses with experiential examples from which to derive strategies for personal coping and professional behavior and decision making. This chapter describes the research that has focused upon the identification of these issues, the effects from uresolved issues, and those directions for future research to better prepare miltiary nurses before and during deployment.

Ethics in orthodontics. A proud tradition of ethics in a proud specialty.

Ethics in orthodontics. A proud tradition of ethics in a proud specialty.

Leadership, Education and Awareness: A Compassionate Care Nursing Initiative.

The Canadian Nurses' Association Code of Ethics (2008) and the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (CRNNS) Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses (CRNNS 2011) identify the provision of safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care as one of nursing's primary values and ethical responsibilities. While compassion has historically been viewed as the essence of nursing, there is concern that this has become an abstract ideal, rather than a true reflection of nursing practice. This paper describes a compassionate care initiative undertaken by the CRNNS and the initial outcomes of these educational workshops. This work is informed by an exploration of the multiplicity of factors that have brought this issue to the fore for nursing regulators, educators, administrators, the public as well as front-line staff. The two most significant areas of learning reported by workshop participants included understanding the connection between mindfulness, non-judgmental care and compassion/self-compassion and recognizing possibilities for action related to compassionate care, even in the face of personal and environmental constraints. Implications for nursing regulators and leaders include consideration of their roles and responsibilities in supporting nurses to meet professional practice standards, such as provision of compassionate care.

Ethical dilemmas of Turkish counsellors: a critical incidents study

Ethical dilemmas from a national purposive sample of Turkish counsellors (N = 172) were collected using critical incidents technique. Content analysis was performed with open coding guided by the classification of American Counseling Association code of ethics. Incidents regarding confidentiality and privacy (56.4%), with 37.1% involving incidents of reporting child sex abuse, had the highest percentage of prevalence. Dilemmas involving conflicts with school principals ranked second (16.3%), while incidents regarding dual relationships and boundaries (14%) ranked third. Implications for the development of a research-based and culturally sensitive code of counselling ethics in Turkey are discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.

Influence of Culture on Ethical Decision Making in Psychology

This study focused on the influence of American and Chinese cultures on consequentialism orientation in decision-making within the broader context of psychologists’ academic roles and responsibilities. In addition, this study hypothesized that educational level would affect culturally influenced ethical decision making in both cultures. Based on the American Psychological Association Ethics Code, 20 ethical scenarios in 5 domains in psychology were created and used to examine the influence of culturally ethical beliefs on psychologists’ decision making among 181 participants. The results indicated that significant cultural differences in consequentialism orientation differentiated Chinese and American participants and influenced their resolution of ethical issues.

Entrenching a 'Duty to Do Wrong' in Medicine: Canadian Government Funds Project to Suppress Freedom of Conscience and Religion

After a young woman had to go to a clinic in the next block to get birth control pills, a crusade was started against three physicians who decline to prescribe contraceptives that spilled into mainstream media and earned a blog posting by Professor Carolyn McLeod on Impact Ethics. Professor McLeod objects to the physicians’ practice for three reasons. First: it implies - falsely, in her view - that there are medical reasons to prefer natural family planning to manufactured contraceptives. Second, she claims that refusing to refer for contraceptives and abortions violates a purported “right” of access to legal services. Third, she insists that the physician should not have used a written notice, but met the patient to explain himself and then helped her to obtain contraception elsewhere by referral. However, there is still room in the medical profession for critical thinking; note that the Canadian Medical Association Code of Ethics requires physicians to advise patients if their views are not representative of those of the profession as a whole. While a face-to-face meeting with patients is normally preferable, it may actually be preferable for walk-in clinic patients to be advised promptly by the receptionist when they arrive. Professor McLeod makes surprising and erroneous claims that if freedom of conscience and religion is not limited, Muslim physicians would refuse to accept female patients, and Catholic physicians would deny care to women who have had previous abortions. This bespeaks a complete lack of intellectual engagement with Islamic medical ethics and with Catholic moral theology. Her claim that physicians “cannot act on moral beliefs that prevent them from providing referrals for standard services” is contradicted by Canadian Medical Association policy and by the 25,000 member Ontario Medical Association (OMA). A central goal of Professor McLeod’s Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded project is to entrench in medical practice a duty to refer for or otherwise facilitate morally contested procedures. From the perspective of many objecting physicians, this amounts to imposing a duty to do what they believe to be wrong. Two other leaders of this insist that objecting physicians also be forced to refer for euthanasia and assisted suicide. That the state can legitimately compel people to do what they believe to be wrong and punish them if they refuse is a dangerous idea that turns foundational ethical principles upside down. CMA and OMA policy on freedom of conscience safeguards the legitimate autonomy of patients and the integrity of physicians. The policy also protects the community against a particularly deadly form of authoritarianism: a demand that physicians kill their patients or help to arrange for the killing, even if they believe doing so is wrong.

Psychology under fire: Adversarial operational psychology and psychological ethics.

The 9/11 attacks on the United States have motivated psychologists to advance counterterrorism and related operations through psychological principles and skills. These operational psychologists seek to legitimize adversarial interventions against targets by prioritizing societal welfare over traditional, individual-focused principles of psychological ethics. In this essay, we distinguish adversarial operational psychology, which facilitates deceptive and coercive operations, from collaborative operational psychology, which optimizes personnel performance in high-risk operations. Our analysis finds that adversarial operational psychology is largely unsupported by the American Psychological Association Ethics Code, that its potential benefits are exceeded by the likelihood of irreversible harms, and that its military necessity is undemonstrated. We offer a three-factor framework for distinguishing between adversarial and collaborative operational psychology, and we recommend institutional separation of these roles so that professional psychologists do not serve in adversarial capacities.

BREAKING NEWS OR BROKEN NEWS?

Television news directors increasingly utilize live shots in their newscasts for reasons other than journalistic value. Reporters and viewers alike react negatively to such “black hole” live shots. Nine news directors and nine senior reporters participated in this qualitative study designed to reveal their differing attitudes toward various aspects of live reporting. Analysis revealed significant tensions between the two groups. The news directors, who are responsible for the news program as a whole, include non-journalistic reasons such as presentation and station identity for including remote live shots. Senior reporters are chiefly concerned with their own contributions to the overall news program. They claim to understand these justifications but often disagree with how they are asked to execute them. The data also reveal one station violating the Radio Television Digital News Association Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct by allowing sponsors to determine editorial content.

The Washington State Death With Dignity Act

The Washington State Death With Dignity Act went into effect in March 2009. The law allows competent, terminally ill adults to obtain lethal doses of medications to end their lives. Little attention has been given to informing nurses about the details of the law and even less to the role they play in its implementation. Nurses have a responsibility to be knowledgeable of all care options available at the end of life to facilitate patients’ informed decision making. The purpose of this study was to determine nurses’ level of knowledge and personal views about the Death With Dignity Act. Results verified that nurses have received little to no education about the law, resulting in gaps in their knowledge about the law’s specifics. Most nurses were in favor of the law. Nurses not in favor of the law opposed it primarily on moral and religious grounds. The role nurses play in implementation of the law also requires further clarification in relation to the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses. As more states consider similar legislation, it is imperative that all nurses be aware of the ethical and legal mandates surrounding the Death With Dignity Act.

Ethical Issues in a Pediatric Private Practice

Building a successful pediatric private practice requires clinical expertise and an understanding of the business process, as well as familiarity with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Code of Ethics. This article provides an overview of the ethical issues that may be encountered when building a practice, including a look at marketing and advertising, financial management, privacy, and documentation. Ethically sound decision making is a key to a successful business.

Reporting Colleague Misconduct in Advanced Practice Nursing

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) experience significant moral distress when they witness colleague misconduct, although many hesitate to report it. APRNs have clear ethical obligations to report based on the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics; however, legal reporting requirements vary from state to state: Some only require institutions to report terminations of nurses; others require nurses to report possible colleague misconduct. This article was prompted by a particular case and examines barriers to reporting and managing colleague misconduct, discusses legal and ethical reporting requirements, and offers recommendations to facilitate management of problematic and potentially unsafe colleague behavior.

Developing a National Code of Ethics in Psychology in Turkey: Balancing International Ethical Systems Guides With a Nation's Unique Culture

Developing a national code for psychologists is a complex process that requires endurance and a proper understanding of not only contemporary needs but also cultural conditions. There are many issues to be considered carefully. It is better to look at code development beyond a text creation and rather as a process in which an ethics system may be created. In order not to merely repeat well-known codes, there are several steps that should be considered. This article intends to address the conflict between suitability to the larger ethical systems and creating an innovative text. As a recent example, the development of the Turkish Psychological Association (TPA) ethics code is presented.

Spiritual Assessment: What is your Method?

In the last four issues of OJRNHC, varying aspects of spirituality have been addressed. The focus moved across a continuum from one’s personal responsibility to a professional responsibility. Nurses in practice are mandated by accrediting bodies, such as Joint Commission on the Accreditation Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) , as well as professional codes, like the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics, to ensure that every patient has a spiritual assessment. In this editorial I would like to challenge every nurse to consider his/her own nursing practice and seriously ask yourself “how do I assess the spiritual needs of my patients?” Healthcare providers should have in place a tool by which all patients are spiritually assessed. Spiritual assessment is similar to the nursing process in that it is a process that begins when the patient is admitted and continues throughout his/her care. Once the spiritual assessment screen has been completed, the spiritual care plan is then developed (Rumbold, 2007). Many spiritual assessments are readily available; however, there is a JCAHO template useful to anyone desiring to create their own tool (Hodge, 2006). In the college where I teach, the Faculty has just adopted the FICA spiritual assessment tool (Copyright, Christine M. Puchalski, MD, 1996) that the faculty will use in teaching spiritual assessment to our nursing students. The FICA is an acronym for Faith and Belief, Importance, Community, and Address in Care. I would suggest you consider using this tool in your nursing program or in your clinical practice. Remember, the FICA is a guide, not a check-list to be completed. You may access more information regarding the FICA by going to http://www.gwumc.edu. At this site, locate the search box and type in “FICA tool”; you will see may articles listed that will provide you with valuable information. Also, go to http://www.gwish.org - at this site, go to right lower web page and you will see “Spiritual Assessment in Clinical Practice”; within this section click on “our new multimedia guide”, then click on the picture of Dr. Puchalski. You will find an abundance of information on spiritual assessment, particularly on the FICA.

Mixed agency in military psychology: Applying the American Psychological Association ethics code.

Mixed agency in military psychology: Applying the American Psychological Association ethics code.