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Bioethics B I U

Virtues, Vices, and

Habits of the
Healthcare Provider
VIRTUE vir – Roman word meaning man
virtue – the faculty of the
1. human person to choose what is
good against what is deemed to be
bad or evil

a good moral quality in a

person, or the general quality
2. of being morally good
a habitual execution of good
deed
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VICES 1. considered an immoral,

depraved, or degrading act to
all members in a given society
derived from the Latin word
vitium
which means failing or defect
the product of a repeated
sinful act
 *NURSES MUST MAINTAIN ONLY THOSE GOOD
HABITS AND VIRTUOUS ACTS AND AVOID
VICIOUS ONES.
EX. NURSES MUST NOT SELL TO PATIENTS
MEDICINES THAT ARE GIVEN FREE OF CHARGE BY
THE HOSPITAL.
THEY SHOULD AVOID ENCOURAGING PATIENTS TO
RESORT TO ABORTIONS, SPECIFICALLY TO WOMEN
WHO ARE HAVING SCANDALOUS PREGNANCIES, OR
ENCOURAGE LADY PATIENTS TO BUY ABORTIVE
PILLS SINCE HIS/HER SPOUSE OWN A DRUGSTORE.
Page 4 CLASSROOM RULES

HABITS
IT IS DEFINED AS A CONSTANT, EASY WAY OF DOING THINGS ACQUIRED BY THE
REPETITION OF THE SAME ACT

Entitative habits – habits Operative habits – habits of

of being; acting
they refer to our connatural they refer to the tendencies
qualities, like health, we have developed in
strength, or beauty, which we ourselves from repeated acts
hardly call habits today our attention is focused
ex. Breathing, seeing ex. Smoking, judging
 Page 12

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF HABITS

Habits do not destroy voluntariness, and actions performed by the
force of habit are imputable to man.
If a habit has been acquired involuntarily, like the habit of using
profane language during childhood, the existence of the habit and
the acts which proceed unintentionally from it will lack
voluntariness and responsibility so long as the agent remains
ignorant of the existence of the habit
If an evil habit has been made acquired voluntarily, but a positive
constant effort is being made to dispel it, the acts that proceed
from the habit are involuntary; hence, they are not to be imputed
to the agent
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VIRTUES OF
THE
HEALTHCARE FIDELITY
PROVIDER
derived from Latin word
fidelitas which means
faithfulness
faithfulness to one’s
obligations, duties, and
responsibilities
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Latin word honestus which means honor

The HCP is supposed to be sincere,
truthful, straightforward, decent,

HONESTY comely, tidy, open, upright,

virtuous, trustworthy, fair,
honorable, creditable, and of good
moral character.
HCP should not cheat on his/her
patients not steal anything from them
When the HCP practices honesty in
his/her profession, the nursing
profession reaps merit and glory since
honesty is good for the wellness of the
sick
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INTEGRITY Latin word enteros which mean whole;

integritas meaning soundness;
integer which means whole or
complete
Based on the words enteros,
integritas, integer, integrity
corresponds to wholeness.
The HCP practices integrity when
he/she does his/her duties and
obligations as a HCP according to
the beliefs, principles, and values
he/she claims to embrace or cherish
Page 7 CLASSROOM RULES

A humble HCP is one who ceases

HUMILITY to think of his/her own needs
as he/she transcends his/her
attention to the needs of the
patients.
He/she is attentive to the
wellbeing and welfare of
patients.
Page 7 CLASSROOM RULES

an act thru which one takes notice of

RESPECT others
to regard others with special attention,
esteem, and care, or to consider others
worthy of esteem and honor.
The HCP must earn the respect of his/her
patients for him/her to become a strong
catalyst for the healing process of the
patient.
In the absence of respect, illness will
never be conquered, as the spirit of care
will be tainted by selfishness, arrogance,
and malice.
The patients, as well, are dutybound to
show respect to the HCPs.
COMPASSION
feeling of deep sympathy
and sorrow for someone
struck by misfortune,
accompanied by a desire to
alleviate the suffering -
the HCP is expected to be
sensitive and to manifest
genuine sorrow for the
plight of the patient
Page 7 CLASSROOM RULES

one of the cardinal virtues

PRUDENCE according to St. Augustine
an exercise of good judgment,
common sense, and caution in the
conduct of practical matters
it is the overarching virtue that
ties together discretion,
foresight, forethought and
circumspection
by being prudent, the HCP exercises
wisdom, discretion, and carefulness
to avoid embarrassing and
distressing situations as he/she
fulfills his/hertask in the tour of
his/her duty
 The mean (virtue) between confidence (excess) and

COURAGE fear(deficiency)
“the quality of mind or spirit that enables a
person to face difficulty, danger, and pain without
fear”
It also means,confidence,resolution,and
conscious self sacrifice for the sake of something
greater than one’s own self-interest in the absence
of courage,the HCP will lose track of the vision
and reason of his/her calling he/she must not
cringe amidst the tragic occurrences in a hospital,
such as those that happen in the OR, DR, ER, ICU,
among others
It keepsthe HCP poised in his/her exercise of
his/her profession
It also allows the HCP to face the challenges and
dangers of the healthcare profession head on
VICES of the
Healthcare Provider
FRAUD “a false representation of fact, made with a
knowledge of its falsehood, or recklessly,
without belief in its truth, with the
intention that it should be acted upon by
the complaining party and actually inducing
him to act upon it”

“deliberate deceit; trickery; an intentional

perversion of truth for the purpose of inducing
another in reliance upon it to part with some
Valuable thing; a legal right;” belonging to him,
Or to Surrender
FRAUD “connotes a serious willingness and
deliberate intent on the part of the
erring party to do wrong or to cause
damage to another”

(…is deemed to comprise anything calculated

to concealment involving a breach of legal
or equitable duty, trust or confidence
justly reposed, resulting in damage to
another)
FRAUD “implies a sense of wanton or
deliberate wrongdoing”

gra ve offense on the part of the nurse

to deceive, trick, or eventually harm
the dignity and health of
his/her patient
FRAUD “implies a sense of wanton or
deliberate wrongdoing”

grave offense on the part of the nurse

to deceive, trick, or eventually harm
the dignity and health of his/her
patient
FRAUD a criminal offense – a crime against
public interest

articles 185, 186, 187, 188, 189 of

the Revised Penal Code of the
Philippines readily provide the
details of the corresponding penalties
of fraud
PRIDE “a feeling of gratification arising
from association with something good
or laudable”

“a high or inordinate opinion of one’s

own dignity, importance, merit, or
superiority; conceit; arrogance”
PRIDE “egoism or vanity which [implies] a
favorable view of one’s own
appearance, advantages, achievements,
..and often apply to offensive
characteristics”

it leads one to desire and love

greatly his/her own excellence
PRIDE a person drunk with pride always
thinks that he/she is always the
best; to him/her, the rest are mere
fragments or fractions of his/her
achievements

Proverbs 29:23 states that “a man’s

pride will bring him low, but he
who is lowly in spirit will obtain
honor ”
“pride is the root of all vice/sin
and the strongest influence
propelling us to sin”
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Greed
An excessive desire for wealth or possessions
Latin word avaritia which means avarice or covetousness
The Catholic Church qualifies greed as a sin of excess, like lust and
gluttony
“it is a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as
man condemns things eternal for the sake of the temporal things”-
St. Thomas Aquinas
An utter display of distasteful behaviors, such as, betrayal, bribery,
theft, violence, and, manipulation of authority
If a nurse is driven to greed, he/she will become disloyal to his/her
patient, betraying the inherent trust; worse is that a greedy HCP
might steal, or display violence against his/her patients
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IN SUM, THE TRIUMVIRATE OF

FRAUD, PRIDE, AND GREED
ARE THE VICES THAT A HCP
MUST WILLFULLY AVOID.
OTHERWISE, HE/SHE WILL
DESTROY THE DIGNITY AND
HONOR OF THE HEALTHCARE
PROFESSION.
File Edit Format View TEACHER OLIVIA'S CLASS

Thank You!
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you
can't practice any other virtue consistently.”
― Maya Angelou

Do you have any questions for me?

 Answer the following:

1. What do you think will happen to the healthcare

profession when it is practiced by the professional who
resort to fraud, pride, and greed? Explain your answer
and provide concrete examples.

2. List down some possible damages that fraud, pride,

and greed may bring to the healthcare profession.

3. Do you think the Filipinos, as a people, will

tolerate healthcare providers who will resort to fraud,
pride, and greed? Why?