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Personal Ethics Vs Medical Ethics Essay

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The two key differences between medical/ personal ethics and that of public ethics is who they are responsible to and why. Starting with medical ethics, providing needed healthcare services to the individual patient in an ethical and legal manner, operating under a developed and implemented code of ethic guaranteed by a compliance program to help ensure it carries out its operations in a legal and professional manner (Torrens, 2008). Personal ethics are based and conceived from the moral values obtained and influenced by a person's beliefs and expectations, this can vary from person to person (ERC; Ethics Work Center, 2010). These personal ethics can be listed as values, such as integrity, excellence and attitude, and attaching related behaviors to them. They may be influenced by a personal code derived from the culture they were raised in; i.e. small community, church, ethnicity, family. These can have a behavioral …show more content…

An individual’s liberty.
3. Freedom of choice; The individual rights, freedom of a patient to choose to receive or refuse treatment.
4. Self- control of an individual.
The key component being the individual; dealing with the patients right to scarce health resources, regarding treatment with fairness, equal access and benefits from that treatment, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age or ability to pay.
Public health ethics share some of the same values but differ in regards to whom they serve. Their intent is to provide equal distribution of resources, with special regard to the vulnerable groups with-in society (Torrens, 2008). This is subordinate to the greater needs of the population as a whole. This may be at the expense of the individual or portions of society to insure the health of the entire population regardless of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, or the ability to pay. Ethics are supported into compliance by: (Meagher, 2011).
1. Legislative control.
2. Regulatory control.
3. Judicial

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