Medical ethics are?

• A. Standards of Conduct
• B. Practices for Billing
• C. Legal Requirements
• D. Treatment Protocols

Answer: (A)

Medical ethics are standards of conduct that guide how healthcare professionals behave and make decisions in patient care. They define what is right and wrong in practice beyond what the law requires, helping clinicians navigate situations that involve patient autonomy, confidentiality, and welfare. Key ethical principles include respecting patient choices through informed consent, protecting privacy, beneficence (acting in the patient’s best interest), nonmaleficence (avoiding harm), and justice (fair treatment and resource use). These standards shape behavior even when laws or institutional policies differ, and they help resolve dilemmas where competing duties or interests arise. They are not the same as billing practices, legal requirements, or treatment protocols, though ethics often inform how professionals apply them in real-world care.