Health Education Professional

[Assalamualaikum & salam sejahtera]

Code of Ethics for the Health Education Profession

The Health Education profession is dedicated to excellence in the practice of promoting individual, patient, family, organizational, and community health. Health Education Officer are responsible for upholding the integrity and ethics of the profession as they face the daily challenges of making decisions.

By acknowledging the value of diversity in society and embracing a cross-cultural approach, Health Education Officer support the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of all people. The Code of Ethics provides a framework of shared values within which Health Education is practice. The Code of Ethics is grounded in fundamental ethical principles that underlie all health care services: respect for autonomy, promotion of social justice, evidence based intervention and avoidance of harm. The responsibility of each Health Education Officer is to aspire to the highest possible standards of conduct and to encourage the ethical behavior of all those with whom they work. Regardless of job title, professional affiliation, work setting, or population served, Health Education Officer abides by these guidelines when making professional decisions.

Article I: Responsibility to the Public
A Health Education Officer's ultimate responsibility is to educate people for the purpose of promoting, maintaining, and improving individual, patient, family, and community health. When a conflict of issues arises among individuals, groups, organizations, agencies, or institutions, Health Education Officer must consider all issues and give priority to those that promote wellness and quality of living through principles of self-determination and freedom of choice for the individual.

Section 1: Health Education Officer support the right of individuals to make informed decisions regarding health, as long as such decisions pose no threat to the health of others.
Section 2: Health Education Officer encourages actions, health and social policies that support and facilitate the best balance of benefits over harm for all affected parties.
Section 3: Health Education Officer accurately communicate the potential benefits and consequences of the services and programs with which they are associated.
Section 4: Health Education Officer accepts the responsibility to act on issues that can adversely affect the health of individuals, patient, families, and communities.
Section 5: Health Education Officer is truthful about their qualifications and the limitations of their expertise and provides services consistent with their competencies.
Section 6: Health Education Officer respect and protects the privacy and dignity of individuals.
Section 7: Health Education Officer actively involves individuals, patients, families, and communities in the entire educational process so that all aspects of the process are clearly conveyed and understood by those who may be affected.
Section 8: Health Education Officer respect and acknowledge the rights of others to hold diverse norms, religious, ethnics, belief, cultural values, attitudes, and opinions.
Section 9: Health Education Officer provides services equitably to all people.

Article II: Responsibility to the Profession
Health Education Officer is responsible for their professional behavior, for the reputation of their profession, and for promoting ethical conduct among their colleagues

Section 1: Health Education Officer maintain, improve, and expand their professional competence through continue professional development (CPD) issues related to the health of the public.
Section 2: Health Education Officer model and encourage nondiscriminatory standards of behavior in their interactions with others.
Section 3: Health Education Officer encourages and accepts responsible critical discussion to protect and enhance the profession.
Section 4: Health Education Officer contributes to the development of the profession by sharing the processes and outcomes of their work.
Section 5: Health Education Officer is aware of possible professional conflicts of interest, exercise integrity in conflict situations, and do not manipulate or violate the rights of others.
Section 6: Health Education Officer gives appropriate recognition to others for their professional contributions and achievements

 

Article III: Responsibility to Employers
Health Education Officer recognizes the boundaries of their professional competence and are accountable for their professional activities and actions.

Section 1: Health Education Officer maintains competence in their areas of professional practice.
Section 2: Health Education Officer accurately represents their qualifications and the qualifications of others whom they work with.
Section 3: Health Education Officer use appropriate standards, theories, and guidelines as criteria when carrying out their professional responsibilities.
Section 4: Health Education Officer anticipates and discloses competing commitments, conflicts of interest, and endorsement of products.
Section 5: Health Education Officer openly communicates to employers, expectations of job-related assignments that conflict with their professional ethics.

 

Article IV: Responsibility in the Delivery of Health Education
Health Education Officer promotes integrity in the delivery of health education. They respect the rights, dignity, confidentiality, and worth of all people by adapting strategies and methods to the needs of diverse communities and populations.

Section 1: Health Education Officer is sensitive to social and cultural diversity and is in accord with the laws, when planning and implementing programs.
Section 2: Health Education Officer are informed of the latest advances in theory, research, and practice, and use strategies and methods that are grounded in and contribute to development of professional standards, theories, guidelines, statistics, and experience.
Section 3: Health Education Officer is committed to rigorous evaluation of both program effectiveness and the methods used to achieve results.
Section 4: Health Education Officer empowers individuals to adopt and practice healthy lifestyles through informed choice rather than by coercion or intimidation.
Section 5: Health Education Officer communicates the potential outcomes of proposed services, strategies, and pending decisions to all individuals who will be affected.

 

Article V: Responsibility in Research and Evaluation
Health Education Officer contributes to the health of the population and to the profession through research and evaluation activities. When planning and conducting research or evaluation, Health Education Officer do so in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations, organizational and institutional policies, and professional standards.

Section 1: Health Education Officer support principles and practices of research and evaluation that do no harm to individuals, groups, society, or the environment.
Section 2: Health Education Officer ensures that participation in research is voluntary and is based upon the informed consent of the participants.
Section 3: Health Education Officer respects the privacy, rights, and dignity of research participants, and honor commitments made to those participants.
Section 4: Health Education Officer treats all information obtained from participants as confidential unless otherwise required by law.
Section 5: Health Education Officer takes credit, including authorship, only for work they have actually performed and give credit to the contributions of others.
Section 6: Health Education Officer who serves as research or evaluation consultants discuss their results only with those to whom they are providing service, unless maintaining such confidentiality would jeopardize the health or safety of others.
Section 7: Health Education Officer reports the results of their research and evaluation objectively, accurately, and in a timely fashion.

 

Article VI: Responsibility in Professional Preparation
Those involved in the preparation and training of Health Education Officer have an obligation to accord learners the same respect and treatment given other groups by providing quality education that benefits the profession and the public.

Section 1: Health Education Officer select students for professional preparation programs based upon equal opportunity for all, and the individuals academic performance, abilities, and potential contribution to the profession and the public's health.
Section 2: Health Education Officer strives to make the educational environment and culture conducive to the health of all involved, and all forms of discrimination.
Section 3: Health Education Officer involved in professional preparation and professional development engage in careful preparation; present material that is accurate, up-to-date, and timely; provide reasonable and timely feedback; state clear and reasonable expectations; and conduct fair assessments and evaluations of learners.
Section 4: Health Education Officer provides objective and accurate counseling to learners about career opportunities, development, and advancement.
Section 5: Health Education Officer provides adequate supervision and meaningful opportunities for the professional development of learners.

 

Reference : http://www.sophe.org/about/ethics.html

 

-tHaNk yOu-

World AIDS Day-Where were we?

[Assalamualaikum & salam sejahtera]

Today’s is 1st December 2010. When it comes to December, there are many  events that we are really remember. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day on 1st December every year. Governments of other nations have followed suit and issued similar announcements.

Why HIV and AIDS so special till there is a day for it?

First, we need to understand the term. HIV can be explained as:

H – Human – This particular virus can only infect human beings.

I – Immunodeficiency – HIV weakens your immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. A "deficient" immune system can't protect you.

V – Virus – A virus can only reproduce itself by taking over a cell in the body of its host.

While AIDS is:

A – Acquired – AIDS is not something you inherit from your parents. You acquire AIDS after birth.

I – Immuno – Your body's immune system includes all the organs and cells that work to fight off infection or disease.

D – Deficiency – You get AIDS when your immune system is "deficient," or isn't working the way it should.

S – Syndrome – A syndrome is a collection of symptoms and signs of disease. AIDS is a syndrome, rather than a single disease, because it is a complex illness with a wide range of complications and symptoms.

The continuous statistical analysis of HIV and AIDS is perform by many independent bodies and also World Health Organization (WHO). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) operate the largest and most comprehensive HIV/AIDS surveillance system in America. They suggest from the data 2006:

1.   An estimated 56,300 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year. 2. There are approximately 1.1 million Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS.

3.  The CDC estimates that 21% of HIV-positive people don’t know they are infected-meaning they may be transmitting HIV without knowing it.

WHO perform surveillance system for integrated data of AIDS and HIV infected patients around the world. Here are the data from 2008 and 2009.

2010 Global Report Core En 2009 Global Report Core En

From the both data, we can imagine that the burden of the disease is very huge to the world health. Thus, World AIDS Day 2010 is design to increase awareness of people around the world that we have a high risk to get infected with HIV and lead to AIDS if not manage carefully. Currently, the Antiretroviral drug is supply by WHO and other NGO’s to the world. They required a lot of money to keep ample delivery and production of the drug. Thus, World AIDS Day also used as a platform to increase human right awareness to contribute to reduce the burden of disease.

AIDS and HIV infection used to be prevented at many level of transmission. There are only 3 ways of transmission:

1. Sexual Intercourse – the most common transmission. Thus, many activist and volunteer promote the used of condom to reduce the transmission especially to multiple partner and free sex.
2. Blood exchange – in this group, the target population is injection drug user who are commonly share syringe. The transmission of HIV virus through blood transfusion is very minimal.
3. Vertical transmission – it means that mother to child transmission. The mother get infected, the child has very high risk to get HIV infection.

There are many ways to prevent us from the HIV transmission. But the awareness of prevention among people is minimal. Thus, World AIDS Day is used to be the medium of prevention of HIV transmission promotion.

On the other hands, there are also many of them get infected with HIV has problem with the community. There are not treated well in the community because most probably they are afraid of transmission which are only a myth. By this awareness day, we hope the community understand about the HIV and AIDS and they will change their perception towards HIV infected people.

Every year, WORLD AIDS DAY has a theme as their target. 2010 is the continuotion of the theme in 2009 which is Universal Access and Human Right.

Universal Access is the think that very important to reduce the number of HIV infected patients. Where were we? We should there for them.. otherwise, who else?

On World AIDS Day 2010, the global community is focusing attention on protecting human rights of all people affected by HIV.

Today, I call on all sectors to protect human rights, including the right to health, and to combat discrimination. Working with people living with HIV is critical for an effective HIV response and Member States need to be mindful of the commitments made in the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS to promote better legal and social environments for people to access HIV testing, prevention and  treatment.

WHO is firmly committed to the goal of achieving universal access to key HIV services. However, this will not be possible unless we make sure that the human rights of everyone, everywhere, are protected and promoted.

Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General

There are many sector already support the AIDS Day. Where we we now?

Eighty monuments around the world will turn red in support of the (RED) campaign's 2015 goal to have zero children born infected with HIV.

As evening sets in Sydney, Australia, the iconic Opera House will be illuminated in red with U2's Bono kicking off the campaign. Time zone by time zone, similarly significant attractions will turn red for just one night. From Table Mountain in South Africa and the London Eye in London to the Empire State Building in New York and LAX in LA, on Wednesday the world will see red as a symbol of hope that an end to the fight against AIDS is near.

Tonic.com

References:

1. World Health Organization website

2. www.AIDS.gov

-tHaNk yOu-

Poll of the Week Result…

[Assalamualaikum & salam sejahtera]

Today’s, I wanna share the result of the second Poll of the Week.

Out 13 people vote to the aspect in which government need to improve, most are vote for healthcare management. Healthcare management required a large no of human resources who are dealing the management without practice as medicine. It is hard to practice both in one time.

Healthcare management is referring to the system of patient management. Patient flow in the health center or hospital is very important to reduce the burden of the patient in the hospital. If possible, try to make them feel as their home while queuing to meet healthcare provider.

However, surprisingly, healthcare finance is the least of the vote. That should be indicate that healthcare finance so far, lesser problem to the citizen of patient. Healthcare finance involve area of payment by the patient to the doctor. If they are covered with insurance, thus, they might face no problem but when they are using pay-for-service or out-of-pocket method, they might have problem with this.

Other problems are quite evenly distributed. With some improvement in the public health services, they might be increase the trustworthiness of public to the  health department.

-tHaNk yOu-