Ethics—Walk the Talk

1. Ethics—Walk the Talk Kathleen C. Niedert, PhD, RD, CSG, LD Iowa Dietetics in Health Care Communities April 25, 2014

2. Ethical Lines Do Exist • Lying • Cheating • Stealing

3. Why Bend the Rules? “I do it so that I get a good outcome. It doesn’t hurt to bend a (policy) (regulation) (law) (rule) if you get a good outcome”

4. Every day we have those “gray” areas • Client-related decisions • Practicing beyond a person’s qualifications, capabilities, education, or experience • Providing both sides of an issue • Appropriate business practices • Clinical • Billing and proper use of health care resources • Appropriate advertising services

5. “Gray” Areas where ethics comes into play • Appropriate business practices (cont.) • Food Service • Rebates • Human resource decisions • Relationships with professionals, customers and employees • When a conflict of personal interest may be involved if self-disclosure of a relationship is not revealed • Covering up a substance abuse problem

6. Ethics is the Struggle Between… “Right & Wrong” “Moral & Immoral” “Just & Unjust”

7. Ethics: (eth/iks) 1. The study of standards of conduct and moral judgment. 2. The study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person. 3. The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession.

8. Ethics The code of moral principles and values that govern the behaviors of a person or group with respect to what is right or wrong.

9. Influence on Personal Ethics • People • Your family played a large part in shaping your personal ethics. • Your family member and friends exert strong influence on your ethics. • Teachers, especially when you were younger, may have laid the foundation for ethical decisions.

10. Influence on Personal Ethics • Culture • Culture is an integral part of every society. • It is a learned pattern of behavior and ways in which a person lives his or her life. • Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because it binds people together. In the explicit sense of the term, culture constitutes the music, food, arts and literature of a society. Culture is way of life. • A culture is a way of life that is based on beliefs and values, such as art, food, dance, rituals, religion, etc

11. Influence on Personal Ethics • Culture • Culture is an integral part of every society. • It is a learned pattern of behavior and ways in which a person lives his or her life. • Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because it binds people together. In the explicit sense of the term, culture constitutes the music, food, arts and literature of a society. Culture is way of life. • A culture is a way of life that is based on beliefs and values, such as art, food, dance, rituals, religion, etc

12. Influence on Personal Ethics • Law • Laws, some argue, represent the minimum standard of behavior. • Law is a set of rules in society set by the government in order to maintain control. • Law of state has much and more influence one personal ethics. • Acting ethically mean following the law.

13. Influence on Personal Ethics • Law • Laws, some argue, represent the minimum standard of behavior. • Law is a set of rules in society set by the government in order to maintain control. • Law of state has much and more influence one personal ethics. • Acting ethically mean following the law.

14. Influence on Personal Ethics • Religion • Religion is belief in super natural and divine power or powers and how we relate to them. It comprises belief and practice. • Religious traditions give instructions to followers about what’s right and wrong. That is, belief systems define what is or isn’t ethical. • In some religions, unethical behavior is punished and ethical behavior is rewarded. In other religions, teachings provide guidelines for ethics, but leave latitude for the believer to interpret what is ethical and what isn’t

15. Criteria for Ethical Decision Making • Most ethical dilemmas involve • A conflict between needs of the part & whole. • The individual versus the organization. • The organization versus society as a whole.

16. Background to Ethical Context • An Ethical dilemma is a complex situation that often involves an apparent mental conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another. This is also called an ethical paradox. • Making ethical decisions is relatively easy when all the facts of a situation are known.

17. Background in Ethical Context • Ethics As a Communication Issue • We communicate our values and beliefs t others via verbal and nonverbal behavior • We are defined in the eyes of others according to the way we behave • We also need to communicate to others the importance and necessity of good ethics It follows that we have a responsibility to act in ways that promote honest and fairness to maximize the personal worth of each person in the organization

18. Background to Ethical Context • Ethics in Corporations – A Historical View • Companies have long fought the battle of corporate corruption. Because corporations are run by people and no human being is morally perfect, ethical issues are bound to arise. How these issues are handled is the best indicator of a corporation’s ethical commitment. Establish ethically moral behavior in your corporation by taking the task seriously. • When company executives behave unethically, that behavior often ends up in the news. While most companies have ethics policies, they don't necessarily enforce or even follow them. By incorporating ethics into the very heart of the business and reinforcing the idea of ethical behavior, businesses can run efficiently, legally and ethically.

19. Communication and Ethical Issues • Key Areas for Ethical Communication • Key areas for ethical communication • Ethical treatment of a subject takes time, thought, and preparation. As a professional, it is important for you to focus on ethical communication in three key areas: • Personal Written and Spoken Messages • Cross-Cultural Messages • Advertising Messages

20. Communication and Ethical Issues • Personal Written and Spoken Messages • Your messages, both written and spoken, demonstrate not only the message, you intended but also a message regarding your values and integrity. • Use these guidelines to evaluate your purpose and motives in each situations. The guidelines are: • Message purpose • Research methods • Selection of material • Development of ideas • Use of language • Ethical context • Self-analysis

21. Communication and Ethical Issues • Key Areas for Ethical Communication • Cross-Cultural Messages • Never before have so many people from different cultures lived and worked together. • The world has become a global village, and the work force reflects that diversity. Because we have such different customs and ways of communicating, it is natural that misunderstandings occur in the workplace. • The cross-cultural ethical outline will help you assess your ethicality in multicultural situations. Cross-Cultural Ethical Guidelines: • Cultural context • Misunderstandings • Language • Accountability

22. Communication and Ethical Issues • Key Areas for Ethical Communication • Advertising Messages • It is ethically wrong to advertise products in ways that confuse. Whether promoting a college jazz event, a gateway weekend, or a line of products for a multimillion dollar company, the rule for ethical advertising is consistent: • Tell the truth, don’t misrepresent , and don’t manipulate language to create a false impression. Ethical Guidelines for Advertising: • Language • Graphics/print • Omission • Truth • Accountability

23. Communication and Ethical Issues • Ethics and Organizational Responsibility • Business corporations exists for one reason: to make money . Today, however, corporations are mindful of their corporate social responsibility, or CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), also known as their "triple bottom line," which includes a concern for profits, but also an ethical treatment of people and the world in which we live. Proponents of CSR models say that businesses are actually more profitable when they employ high CSR standards, but that idea is still disputed by some corporate and financial analysts. • Environment • Human Rights • Community Development • Employee Welfare

24. Three Pillars of an Ethical Organization SOURCE: Adapted from Linda Klebe Trevino, Laura Pincus Hartman, and Michael Brown, “Moral Person and Moral Manager,” California Management Review 42, No. 4 (Summer 2000), 128-142.

25. The Academy’s/CDRs Code of Ethics A compass for ethical conduct

26. Types of Codes • Aspirational • Educational • Regulatory

27. The Code consists of Five Categories • Fundamental Principles • Responsibilities to the Public • Responsibilities to Clients • Responsibilities to the Profession • Responsibilities to Colleagues and Other Professionals Nineteen Principles

28. Functions of the Code of Ethics The code is intended to: • Protect the profession and the credential • Influence public and private policy • Improve professional practice • Educate dietetics practitioners about ethical decision making • Meet the guidelines of the accrediting agency for the Commission on Dietetic Registration

29. Misconceptions about the Code of Ethics The Code is not intended to: • Identify and reprimand all unqualified dietitians and dietetic technicians • Be a punitive force to take away credentials

30. The Code of Ethics

31. Accessing the Code • Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, August 2009, pages 1461-1467. • Academy Web site – www.eatright.org/codeofethics

32. Ethics Requirement • Current published Professional Development Portfolio Guide for Cycles Ending 2019 includes the requirement of a minimum of 1 CPEU in ethics, effective with the 5-year recertification cycle which ends May 31, 2017. • Must meet Learning Need Code 1050 • A number of resources available to meet requirement

33. Tools & Resourceswww.eatright.org/codeofethics • Ethics Committee • Ethics Team at Headquarters • Ethics For Further Reading List • FNCE sessions* • Ethics Opinions* • Ethics in Action columns* • Ethics Case Studies* • Impact of Social Media on the RDN and DTR (NEW) • Case Studies and Discussion Question for Ethics Video Series* • Ethics Video Series*

34. Access to the Ethics Committee • Any member or non-member can make a complaint. • Complaints are not anonymous but are confidential. • If a complaint is made, it is forwarded to the member for a response. • The Ethics Committee then reviews the complaint and discusses the response in executive session.

35. Ethics Case Management Procedure • The enforcement procedures are intended to permit a fair resolution of disputes on ethical practices in a manner that protects the rights of individuals while promoting understanding of ethical practice. • The Ethics Committee has the authority and the flexibility to determine the best way to resolve a dispute, including educational means where appropriate.

36. What happens next… • Case may be dismissed • Further information may be requested • Person may be contacted with specific actions for educational intervention

37. What happens next… • Membership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics may be censured, placed on probation, suspended, or revoked • RDN or DTR credential or specialist credential may be suspended or revoked • Ethics Committee uses a defined policy and procedure handbook to guide its decisions.

38. Ethical Issue or Not ? • Legal, regulatory, or ethical issue? • Employer policy issue? • Personal issue? • Business dispute? • Academy/CDR member issue? • If violation of the Code violation-cite principle violated

39. Recent Complaints