Code of Ethics Assignment

Group 3 Social Media

Amanda McElvany and Kortney Richardson
March 14, 2016

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has its own Code of Ethics that
Registered Dietitians are required to follow. This Code of Ethics is a set of guidelines that
are used by Registered Dietitians to help make ethical decisions, and its main purpose is
to guide dietetics professionals in their conduct and practice. Although it can be used as a
tool to help the Registered Dietitian make decisions, it does not make the decision for
them. The Code of Ethics includes nineteen principles that help registered dietitians when
faced with dilemmas. These principles will guide the registered dietitian when trying to
solve a dilemma in dietetics practice. The most important principles of the Code of Ethics
are that dietetics practitioners must conduct themselves with honesty, integrity, and
fairness while supporting and promoting high standards of professional practice by
reporting perceived violations of the Code of Ethics.
The Academys Code of Ethics applies to all who practice and/or accept/maintain
the CDR. This includes all members and credentialed dietetics professionals who agree to
abide by the Code. This includes Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians,
Registered who are members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It also applies to
all members of the Academy in general, whether or not they are Registered Dietitians or
Dietetic Technicians, Registered; however, this excludes the principles that pertain to
only those individuals with credentials. The Code of Ethics also apples to all Registered
Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians, Registered even if they are not members of the
Academy; however, this excludes sections of the Code of Ethics that pertain to those
individuals who are members of the Academy.
Although all the principles are important, there are several principles that seem to
stand out. Out of the nineteen principles listed within the context of the Code of Ethics

our team finds principles three, six, nine, ten, and twelve to be the most important.
Principle three states that the Registered Dietitian needs to be aware of the health and
safety of the public. This means that any inappropriate behavior towards a client should
be reported. Principle six states that a Registered Dietitian should not participate in any
practice that may be false or misleading. This includes advertising or endorsing a product
or service in a way that is inaccurate. All information given to the public needs to be
completely accurate and honest so the client knows what product or service they are
receiving. Principle nine focuses on keeping the client in mind. It is the Registered
Dietitians responsibility to provide the client with enough information so the client is able
to be apart of the decision making process and is able to make an informed decision.
Principle ten requires that all patient information be kept confidential. Principle twelve
states that all practices need to be based on evidence-based research and current
information. All of these principles are very important and play a major role in providing
the best care to clients.
If one disagreed with the ethical behavior of another Registered Dietitian, you
could first offer up your opinion on the situation, and explain your position on the issue.
But, with most ethical dilemmas there is no cleat-cut right or wrong answer. Given the
certain situation the Registered Dietitian needs to use his or her own discretion when
trying to solve the ethical dilemma. As a Registered Dietitian, you need to trust other
practitioners to make choices based on evidence-based research while following the code
of ethics. If however, you think that the ethical issue should be addressed, one could also
file a complaint with the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Then a three-person
committee comprised of members of the Academy and/or CDR credentialed practitioners

will review the situation. The decision of such cases will be available to members and
credentialed practitioners to guide their conduct for reference of acceptable practice.
First, a written complaint would be filed against a member/credentialed practitioner who
has allegedly violated the Code of Ethics. Then, a preliminary review of the complaint by
the chair of the Ethics Committee, the legal counsel for the Academy, and appropriate
staff would take place to determine whether all the required information has been
submitted by the complaint and whether an ethics questioned is involved. Thereafter, if it
is decided that the complaint should be looked into further, the Ethics Committee will
notify the respondent that a complaint has been made via certified mail. The respondent
must reply within thirty days of the letter. Then, the Ethics Committee will decide how to
handle the complaint. Such measures may include the following: dismissing the
complaint, requesting further information from the parties, resolving the case through
educational activities, holding a hearing as specified hereafter, or in any other way
deemed advisable.
Based on the case study, our question was whether or not to report the intern for
posting about a client on social media. The statement for action one was to report the
intern, and the statement for action two was to not report the intern. Of the nineteen Code
of Ethics principles, only seven apply to the situation at hand. Principles two, three, nine
and ten all apply to reporting the intern. Principles six, seventeen, and nineteen apply to
not reporting the intern.
In terms of action one to report the intern, the principles that apply are as follows:
Principle two illustrates the Registered Dietitians responsibility to protect clients and
follow the Code of Ethics. By posting about the client on social media, the intern is

violating the rules set by the Code of Ethics. Principle three indicates that any
inappropriate behavior or treatment of a client by any dietetics practitioner should be
reported. This principle applies perfectly to this situation. Posting about a client on social
media would be considered inappropriate behavior even though the clients name was not
mentioned; therefore, this behavior should be addressed. According to this principle, it is
the Registered Dietitians responsibility to report when another practitioner has used
inappropriate behavior on a client. Principle nine illustrates the Registered Dietitians
responsibility to treat all clients with respect. When caring for a client, you should always
keep them and their needs in mind. They may not want their medical information shared
over the Internet regardless of whether or not their name was mentioned. Out of respect
for the client, without their consent their medical information should not be shared.
Principle ten states the need to keep client information confidential. It is the responsibility
of the Registered Dietitian to protect a clients confidential information. By sharing a
clients information on the Internet, the intern is violating the clients privacy. Despite the
fact that the clients name was not mentioned, this would still be a HIPPA violation.
The statement for action two was to not report the intern, and the principles that
apply are as follows: Principle six states that when providing information to a client, the
dietetics practitioner should always present it in a way that is completely accurate and
free of any information that may be misleading. When the intern posted about the client
on the Internet, she was relaying the information that the physician had told her. She may
have been using this particular case as a way to educate the public.
Whether or not to report the intern is a difficult question to answer. Although it is
in violation of HIPPA and it is wrong to post information about a client without their

consent, my team agrees that we would not report the intern. In a situation like this, the
best approach would be to confront the intern about the issue, and explain why it is
important to keep the clients information private unless you have their consent. Because
she is only an intern, she may not be fully aware of the importance of keeping
information confidential even when the clients name is not given. I think reporting her
would be a little harsh especially since no name was given. She may not have realized
that this was a HIPPA violation since a name was not given, and she may have just been
trying to relay information given to her by the physician to the public. She is still learning
and is bound to make mistakes; this situation should be used as a learning experience.