What is a code of ethics in healthcare?

• A. A set of principles guiding professional conduct and decision-making.
• B. A list of legal penalties.
• C. A clinical protocol for treatments.
• D. A hospital policy on dress code.

Answer: (A)

A code of ethics in healthcare is a set of principles that guide professional conduct and decision-making. It provides a framework for evaluating what’s right or wrong in patient care, going beyond what laws or routines require. By emphasizing values such as respect for patient autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, along with confidentiality and professional integrity, it helps clinicians navigate tough situations and make choices that protect patient welfare while upholding trust in the profession.

The other items describe things that aren’t ethics guidance: a list of legal penalties focuses on punishment for violations, a clinical protocol tells you how to perform a treatment, and a hospital dress code is an administrative policy. So the best description is a set of guiding principles that shape how professionals should act and decide in practice.