code of ethics

• Autonomy: To honor the patient’s right to make their own decisions.
• Beneficence: To help the patient advance their own good.
• Nonmaleficence: To do no harm.
• Justice: To be fair and treat like cases alike, which will be used to inform your work.

Applying Ethical Principle-Healthcare Disparities

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NURS-FPX4000 Developing a Nursing Perspective

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Healthcare Disparities for
Low Socio-Economic
Status (SES) Individuals

• Individuals with low socio-economic status
(SES) often face barriers to accessing high-
quality healthcare services (Dableh et al., 2023).

• Financial constraints may limit their ability to
afford health insurance, preventive screenings,
and timely medical treatments.

• Unequal access to services can result in delayed
diagnoses and poorer health outcomes.

Why Address Healthcare Disparities?
• Promotes Health Equity
• Ethical Responsibility
• Improving Patient Outcomes
• Enhancing Trust

Autonomy

• May have fewer healthcare choices, limiting their autonomy in selecting the
most suitable healthcare providers.

• Autonomy in making healthcare decisions is compromised as they may
need to prioritize financial needs over receiving healthcare (Job et al., 2022).

• Limited access to information can impact their autonomy as they are not
informed with the ability to make decisions about their healthcare.

Beneficence

• Economic constraints may lead to delayed
or insufficient medical interventions,
compromising the principle of beneficence.

• Low SES can result in unequal access to
high-quality healthcare services.

• Healthcare disparities may contribute to
poorer health outcomes for individuals with
low SES (Smith & Johnson, 2021).

Nonmaleficence &

Justice

Nonmaleficence

• Individuals with low SES face
challenges in accessing timely and
appropriate medical care (Smith &
Johnson, 2021).

• Individuals with low SES may have
increased exposures to healthcare
risks.

Justice

• Justice demands equal access to
healthcare resources, which is often
lacking for those with limited economic
means.

• Communities should be involved in
making decisions to help ensure that
healthcare services are responsive to
the needs of low SES individuals
promoting justice (Jones et al., 2022).

Bias and Low SES

• Bias may contribute to disparities in diagnosis and treatment, challenging
the ethical principles of fairness and justice.

• Recognition of and addressing implicit bias is essential to ensure fair and
equitable healthcare for individuals with low socio-economic status (Jones
et al., 2022).

• Healthcare professionals should engage in continuous education to
understand and address bias, promoting ethical care for all individuals.

Remember to add images when you can!

Four Spheres of Care

• Healthcare Disparities pertains to the

sphere of Chronic Disease Care because:
• Prevalence in marginalized

communities
• Access to Care
• Social Determinants of Health
• Unconscious Bias (Benvanedez et al.,

2024).
• Communities should be involved in making

decisions to help ensure that healthcare
services are responsive to the needs of low
SES individuals promoting justice (Jones et
al., 2022).

Ethics in Chronic Disease
Management and Low SES

• Ethics in chronic disease management involves a holistic approach that
considers the socio-economic context of individuals.

• Ethical considerations emphasize the importance of ensuring that
individuals with low socio-economic status have equitable access to
resources for chronic disease management.

• Ethical chronic disease management involves empowering communities to
actively participate in their healthcare, reducing disparities and promoting
overall well-being.

Conclusion

• Addressing healthcare disparities for individuals with low socio-economic
status is important as it:

• Promotes health equity.

• Respects individual autonomy and dignity.

• Helps transform the healthcare system to be more inclusive.

References

Benavidez, G.A., Zahnd, W.E., Hung, P., & Eberth, J. (2024). Chronic disease prevalence in the U.S.
Sociodemographic and geographic variations. Prev. Chronic Disease 21:230267. doi
http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.230267

Dableh, S., Frazer, K., Stokes, D., & Kroll, T. (2024). Access of older people to primary health care in low and
middle-income countries: A systematic scoping review. PloS One, 19(4), e0298973. https://doi.org/10.1371/
journal.pone.0298973

Job, C., Adenipekun, B., Cleves, A., & Samuriwo, R. (2022). Health professional’s implicit bias of adult
patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) and its effects on clinical decision-making: A scoping review
protocol. BMJ Open, 12(12), e059837-e059837. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059837

Jones, M., King, O., Shaw, N. (2022). Access to primary care services for low SES individuals:A

systematic Review. Journal of Health Equity, 8(2), 112-125.

Smith, A., & Johnson, B. (2021). Bridging the Gap: Nursing interventions for low SESpopulations.
Journal of Nursing Research, 25(3), 45-58.

Applying Ethical Principle-Healthcare Disparities
• Healthcare Disparities for Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) Individuals
• Why Address Healthcare Disparities?

Autonomy

Beneficence

• Nonmaleficence & Justice�

Bias and Low SES

Four Spheres of Care

• Ethics in Chronic Disease Management and Low SES

Conclusion

References