The Public Health Code of Ethics in Public Health Practice

Presenters and Authors

Cee Ann Davis MD, MPH, FACPM, FACOG, Blue Ride Community Health, LLCFollow

Abstract

In 2019, the American Public Health Association (APHA) adopted the revised APHA Public Health Code of Ethics (APHA2019PHCOE), which is now part of the Rules for Procedure of the APHA Governing Council. The APHA2019PHCOE contains ethical standards and obligations for both public health practitioners (in all disciplines, at all levels) and institutions. It contains standard considerations for use in deliberative decision-making to ensure authority and power in public health are exercised in fair and productive ways. The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has ethics requirements for department certification, and public health personnel need a skillset that includes ability to: 1) identify ethical dimensions of public health work; 2) articulate such conflicting values and ethical dilemmas as may arise; 3) adequately deliberate options among actions/policies using inclusive methods including affected groups and individuals; and 4) implement/evaluate solutions open to revision as information and situations develop. This workshop will overview the need for, and key features of, the APHA 2019 Public Health Code of Ethics and how it can be applied for policy/action decision analysis. Participants should access and review the APHA2019PHCOE, and have a copy for reference during this workshop (https://www.apha.org/-/media/files/pdf/membergroups/ethics/code_of_ethics.ashx).

Keywords

Ethics, Public Health Code of Ethics, Values, Standards, Policies

Conflict of Interest Form

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