Definition/Introduction
Ethics are inherent in the practice of medicine. In modern healthcare, informatics plays a pivotal role in maintaining and delivering care.[1] As such, informatics ethics has come into the spotlight over recent years. Like other codes of ethics, informatics offers insight into the recommended ethical guidance of clinicians and other healthcare professionals. Additionally, the informatics code of ethics functions as a gold standard against which the actions of professionals can be compared. Furthermore, the code of informatics ethics offers patients and the general population an established statement of standards that may mold professionals’ actions and behaviors.
Informatics ethics significantly overlap with other codes of ethics developed around social settings. These fundamental principles include:
- Autonomy
- Equality
- Justice
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
- Integrity
Other principles that play essential roles in healthcare include:
- Information privacy
- Security
- Access
- Openness
- Least intrusive alternative
- Legitimate infringement
- Accountability [2]
These ethical principles provide insight into the duties and responsibilities of clinicians, administrators, and other healthcare personnel when dealing with patient-related content. It is worth emphasizing that these principles provide guidance depending on the nature, context, and specific details of individual situations.[3]