Apply medical ethics in a clinical setting.

Applying medical ethics should include

• ensuring patients' rights
• maintaining confidentiality
• exercising sterile consciousness
• exhibiting honesty in all transactions
• ensuring that medical procedures are carried out to the best of one's ability (e.g., medical asepsis, testing, and medical record-keeping).

Following the professional code of conduct for sterile processing technicians should include careful attention to stay within the scope of practice as a member of the medical team. It should also include identifying the legality and/or ethics surrounding medicine.

Process/Skill Questions:

• What is the difference between law and ethics?
• What is the purpose of a code of professional ethics? What ethical principles are sterile processing technicians expected to uphold?
• What should a sterile processing technician do if he or she believes that a patient's rights have been violated?
• Can a sterile processing technician be sued for malpractice? Explain.