• DISTINCTION BETWEEN LAW AND ETHICS

• LEGAL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

• ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

• AVOIDING LEGAL ACTION

• CONFIDENTIALITY

• WAYS TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY

• ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

• Law:

– Rules written by the

legislature or a

government agency.

• Ethics:

– A system of moral

values; a set of principles

of conscientious

conduct.

• Abandonment:

– This is when a family or agency leaves an

individual without care or support.

• Assault:

– This takes place when an individual

intentionally attempts or threatens to touch

another individual in a harmful or offensive

manner without their consent.

• Battery:

– This takes place when an individual

harmfully or offensively touches another

individual without their consent.

• False imprisonment:

– This takes place when you intentionally

restrict an individual’s freedom to leave a

space.

• Fraud:

– This means that a person intentionally gives

false information in order to make money or

gain an advantage.

• Invasion of privacy:

– This is revealing personal or private

information without an individual’s consent.

• Liability:

– This refers to the degree to which you or your

employer will be held financially responsible for

damages resulting from your negligence.

• Malpractice:

– This is a failure to use reasonable judgment when

applying your professional knowledge.

• Negligence:

– This is when a personal injury or property damage

is caused by your act or your failure to act when

you have a duty to act.

• Honesty:

– Do not be afraid to politely say “no” to a task

you are not assigned to do. Also, do not be

afraid to admit that you do not know an answer

to a question or how to do a task. Never steal,

take an individual’s possessions, or falsify

documents or reports.

• Respect:

– An individual’s religious or personal beliefs and

values may differ from yours. You should

respect those differences.

• Reliability:

– Arrive for assignments on time. Always finish

your shift, even if an individual is being difficult or

the workload is difficult. You can address those

problems with the supervisor after you have

finished your shift.

• Responsibility:

– You should not take gifts or tips, follow the

individual’s service plan unless you consult with

your supervisor and take pride in doing your job

well.

• Keep personal information confidential.

– Do not discuss confidential information with

others except your supervisor or other colleagues

who are directly involved with the individual’s

care. Confidential information may include

medical, financial, or family issues.

• Only perform work assigned.

– If you perform a task that was not assigned by

your supervisor, you become liable for those

actions. A plan is developed for each individual

that describes exactly what services should be

provided. This is called a care plan or support

plan. It lists the tasks you should do for this

individual.

• Do not do less work than

assigned.

– When you fail or forget to do all

the tasks assigned, you may put

your individual at risk. As a result

of your failure to act, you might

be found negligent. Again, it is

important that you understand

the care or support plan for the

individual. You must do all the

tasks assigned to you as

described in the plan—not more

and not less.

• Avoid doing careless or low-quality work.

– Performing tasks carelessly might make you

liable for the damages or injuries that result.

• Report abuse and make sure your actions

are not considered abusive.

• Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA):

– This keeps the identifiable health information

about our individuals confidential. It explains how

to maintain privacy and punishment for anyone

violating individual privacy.

• Information that should be kept confidential:

– All information about our individuals is

considered private or confidential. This includes

all personal information, medical information.

• How to maintain confidentiality in

conversations and on the telephone:

– Speak quiet, close doors; make sure a person is a

need to know. Never leave personal information

on an answering machine.

• What to do in the event of a breach of

confidentiality:

– If there is a breach of confidentiality, inform you

supervisor or privacy officer.

• How direct care professionals can practice

the “need to know rule”:

– The rule is really common sense. You should only

have access to confidential information that you

need to know.

• Spoken communications:

– Watch what you say, where you say it, and

to whom.

– Speak in a quiet voice when you share

information.

– Close doors when discussing private

information.

– Do not talk about health information matters

in front of others.

– If someone asks you a question involving

personal information, make sure that person

has a need to know before answering.

• Telephone communications:

– Never leave personal health information

on an answering machine regarding an

individual’s conditions, test results, etc.

– If you are leaving a message on an

answering machine/voice mail, only

leave the name of the person calling

and the agency’s telephone number

with your contact phone number, and

request a call back.

– Do not leave messages with anyone

other than the individual or a

responsible party.

• Medical records:

– Make sure medical records are viewed

only by those who need to see them.

– Store them in an area not easily accessible

to non-essential staff and others.

– Do not leave medical records lying around

unattended or in an area where others can

see them. Don’t leave files on car seats;

lock them in the trunk.

– Return the medical record to its

appropriate location when you are finished

viewing it.

• Advance directives are documents

specifying the type of treatment individuals

want or do not want under serious medical

conditions. The documents are used when a

person is unable to communicate his or her

wishes. Generally, two forms are involved

with advance directives:

• Living will:

– Legal document that outlines the medical care an

individual wants or does not want if he or she

becomes unable to make decisions. An example

would be the use of a feeding tube.

• Durable medical power of attorney:

– Legal document that designates another person

to act as an agent or a surrogate in making

medical decisions if the individual becomes

unable to do so.

• Pre-Hospital Medical Care Directive:

– Also known as the “orange form” or a DNR, is a special

advance directive. This form says that if the heart stops

beating or breathing stops, the individual does not want to

receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under any

circumstances. This special form, which is bright orange in

color, notifies the paramedics and emergency medical

services people that this choice has been made.

• It is also important to

remember that the orange

form only covers cardiac

and respiratory arrest. If the

individual has another type

of medical emergency, the

caregiver should provide

first aid measures,

including calling 911 as

indicated.

• Display of the Orange Form:

– because the paramedics respond quickly to an

emergency medical situation, the Pre-Hospital

Medical Care Directive must be immediately

available for them to see. It should be displayed

someplace where the paramedics will be able to

see it should the individual have a cardiac and/or

respiratory arrest. Such places would be the

refrigerator or behind the front door or living

room door.