Abstract
A code of conduct is a set of rules that guide the conduct of individuals who are members of a particular profession, institution or group. This entry focuses on codes of conduct that relate to professionals in the two main areas that deal with human life; healthcare and human health research. The entry discusses the development of codes of conduct in health and highlights present day codes that guide the conduct of professionals involved in health care and health research. Codes apply to three main parties namely professional associations or institutions, professionals who provide a service and the citizens. To each of these parties, the code of conduct holds a different meaning. Whilst there are numerous codes that have been issued by institutions and national authorities or professional associations involved in healthcare and health research, this entry mainly discusses codes that are international in scope including the World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Geneva, World Medical Association’s International Code of Medical Ethics, UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, Nuremberg Code, Declaration of Helsinki, CIOMS Guidelines and the ICH Good Clinical Practice Guidelines. The majority of these codes relate mainly to professionals and hence fall under the category of professional ethics codes, while the Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights relates to all persons and hence it is an applied ethics code.
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Further Readings
Council for international organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS). (2002). International guidelines for biomedical research involving human subjects. Geneva: CIOMS.
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Ndebele, P. (2015). Codes of Conduct. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_97-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_97-1
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