UNLaM ENGLISH LEVEL IV

UNIT 5 – BEHAVIOUR / ETHICS

REFLECTION TIME

READ AND DISCUSS

A detective investigating the death of a young woman found out that she had died
when somebody was operating her on to take her healthy kidney to be transplanted to
a rich man who desperately needed it. When the detective arrived at the hospital to
arrest the doctor that was ready to perform the operation to transplant the healthy
kidney, the doctor said: “OK, you can arrest me. But you will have to wait for me to
finish the surgery or that patient will die too.”

1. Imagine that you are the detective.
What would you do next?
How would you justify your decision?
Is the detective a good professional?
Why?
2. Imagine that you are the doctor.
How would you defend your decision?
What other possible solution could you
think of?
Is the doctor a good professional? Why?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
1) I would wait until the doctor finished the surgery and then I would arrest him. / I
would collect the necessary evidence to arrest the doctor but I would do it after
the surgery.

2) I would justify my decision by explaining that the young woman had decided to
donate her kidney but unfortunately she didn’t wake from the anesthesia.
READING TIME

1. Read the text about Ethics quickly and tick the options you can spot.

 Definition: ……………………….……………………………………………………………
 Description: …………………….……………………………………………………………
 Exemplification: ………….………………………………………………………………..
 Comparison: ………….………………………………………………......................

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 Classification: ……………………………………………………………………………….

ETHICS AND DEONTOLOGY

The terms "ethics" and "Deontology" may seem identical to you but actually they differ in
their meaning. There is indeed a distinction that makes ethics and Deontology different
terms, although they are complementary at the same time.
The word Ethics comes from the Greek Ethos, which refers to the behaviour and character
of an individual, and its general way of being. It is a system of moral principles. They affect
how people make decisions and lead their lives.
Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as
moral philosophy.
Ethics covers the following dilemmas:

 How to live a good life.

 Our rights and responsibilities.
 The language of right and wrong.
 Moral decisions.
 What is good and bad.

The word Deontology or deontological ethics also comes from Greek, more precisely from
the word deontos which means 'duty'. It is a branch of ethics that establishes the
foundations of a person's duties as a function of morality.
Deontological ethics applies to the professional world by establishing a series of rules and
duties to which members of the same professional or trade activity are subject.
Deontological ethics is a code of conduct that applies to all professionals.

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2. Are these sentences TRUE or FALSE? If false, correct them.

a. The terms Ethics and Deontology are synonyms. T / F

FALSE. They may seem identical but they differ in their meaning.

b. Both terms are defined from the etymological point of view. T / F

TRUE.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. Ethics refers to a system of moral principles which defines what is good for individuals
and society. T / F

TRUE. .………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

d. Deontology refers to how people live and lead their lives. T / F

FALSE. It refers to the professional world. It establishes a series of rules and duties to
which members of the same professional or trade activity are subject. ………………..

THINK AND GIVE YOUR OPINION

1. Tick the examples you consider ethical rules.

 Keeping medical secrecy about patients.

 Telling lies in order to help someone in trouble.
 Taking advantage of one’s function to obtain favours.
 Respecting patients’ decisions.
 Sharing clients’ personal data.

GENERATING IDEAS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION

1. Read the text quickly and explain the picture in your own words.
(Answer may vary) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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PROFESSIONALISM

Professionalism is the conduct, aims or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or

professional person; it implies quality of workmanship or service. Every organization
knows that a professional reputation is the difference between success and failure and
they seek to keep their most professional staff.
Professionalism is all about success and influence; having a reputation for excellence and
being thought of as someone who exhibits professionalism under any circumstances can
open doors for you either in the workplace or in your personal ambition.
In order to say what good professionals are like and what behaviour they should have
within their professional practices, it is useful to take into account both deontological
norms and ethical references. When referring to the professions, ‘ethics’ and ‘deontology’
are two words which are often used interchangeably.

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

1. Match these words with their synonyms:

1. Reputation a. criterion

2. Behaviour b. notes

3. Norms c. fame

4. References d. way of acting

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TIME TO THINK

1. Read the title and write 5 words you expect to find in this text.

a………………… b………………… c…………………

d………………… e…………………

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
a) Health
b) Patients
c) Medicine
d) Care
e) Professionalism

MEDICAL ETHICS

Ethical choices, both minor and major, confront us every day in the provision of health
care for persons with diverse values living in a pluralistic and multicultural society. In the
face of such diversity, where can we find moral action guides when there is confusion or
conflict about what ought to be done. Such guidelines would need to be broadly
acceptable among the religious and the nonreligious and for persons across many
different cultures. Due to the many variables that exist in the context of clinical cases as
well as the fact that in health care there are several ethical principles that seem to be
applicable in many situations these principles are not considered absolute, but serve as
powerful action guides in clinical medicine.
Some of the principles of medical ethics have been in use for centuries. For example, in
the 4th century BCE, Hippocrates, a physician-philosopher, directed physicians “to help

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and do no harm” (Epidemics, 1780).

Basic Principles of Medical Ethics
There are four basic principles of medical ethics. Each addresses a value that arises in
interactions between providers and patients.
 Autonomy: People have the right to control what happens to their bodies. This
principle simply means that an informed, competent adult patient can refuse or
accept treatments, drugs, and surgeries according to their wishes. These
decisions must be respected by everyone, even if those decisions aren’t in the
best interest of the patient.
 Beneficence: All healthcare providers must strive to improve their patient’s
health, to do the most good for the patient in every situation. But what is good
for one patient may not be good for another, so each situation should be
considered individually.
 Nonmaleficence: In every situation, healthcare providers should avoid causing
harm to their patients. They should also be aware of the doctrine of double
effect, where a treatment intended for good unintentionally causes harm.
 Justice: Health providers should try to be as fair as possible when offering
treatments to patients and allocating scarce medical resources.
Adapted from: http://www.stanford.edu

2. Are these sentences true or false? If false, correct them.

a. Professionals confront with ethical choices daily. T / F

b. Basic ethical principles are applied with no restrictions. T / F

These principles seem to be applicable in many situations, but they are not considered
absolute.
c. A patient can reject to be assisted even when his/her life is in danger. T/F
d. Every patient should get the same treatment. T / F
Health care providers must strive to improve their patients care, but what is good for one
patient may not be good for another.
e. Doctors are not obliged to provide a respectful health care to lower income patients. T / F
Doctors should try to be as fair as possible when offering treatments to patients.

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3. Watch this video youtube.com/watch?v=pihwQF2qvSs and do the activities below.

a. Choose your option.

b. Justify your decision.
c. Present a similar situation.

TALKING POINT

Organize the complete presentation about Ethics.

This is a possible organization of your presentation. The expressions chosen may vary but
you could find it useful as a model.

Good morning/afternoon/evening, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, let me thank you all
for coming here today.
Let me introduce myself. I´m… ................................................. …………………………(Full name)
I’m Head /Director/CEO of ............................................. here at..............................
(Company)
Today’s topic is.........................................................................................................................
The topic is very important for us because..............................................................................
By the end of this talk, you will be familiar with concepts such as……………………..(Key words)
I’ve divided my presentation into three parts.
I’ll start off by ... (defining, describing, introducing) ……........................................................
Then, I’ll move on to …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I’ll end with…………………………………………………………………….....................................................
My talk should take about ……………. minutes and then we will have time for some
questions.
Let’s turn to the first part of my talk which is about……………………........................................

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Now, I’d now like to change direction and talk about.............................................................

Let me end with my last point by saying.................................................................................
So, that´s all I have to say.
I would therefore recommend that.........................................................................................
Thank you for listening so attentively.
If you have any questions or comments, I'll be happy to answer them.