PUBLIC HEALTH
CODE OF ETHICS
ISSUE BRIEF
,TABLE
OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Public Health Core Values and Related Obligations
3. Guidance for Ethical Analysis
4. Ethical Action Guidance for Policy and Practice in
Functional Domains of Public Health
,SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION
The Public Health Code of Ethics is a set of professional standards and expectations intended for public health
practitioners1 throughout the feld. In 2002, a code entitled Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health was
developed by a team of public health practitioners engaged in a project with the Public Health Leadership Society.
The American Public Health Association adopted the principles, and they were published in the American Journal
of Public Health2. At that time, it was already recognized that the feld of public health was experiencing dynamic
growth and that the code would best serve the feld if it were occasionally reexamined and possibly revised. Now,
as the feld of public health enters the era of Public Health 3.0, in which public health practitioners and programs
prioritize social determinants for health and interact with a growing diversity of partners, it is important to
reexamine and reemphasize public health’s commitments to ethical practice and public service.
Public health practitioners work in a variety of settings, including but not limited to local, state, and national
governmental public health departments; domestic and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and
academia. Practitioners within each setting come from a variety of disciplines and represent numerous scientifc
and technical areas of study. The values and standards of public health apply to practitioners in these and other
public health settings and disciplines.
In a practical and multidisciplinary activity as complex as public health, acting ethically and fulflling ethical
obligations requires careful refection and intentional decision making. Public health is an evidence-informed
practice. Public health actions are based on scientifc observation and inference, lived experience, and what is
valued by public health practitioners. Public health decisions affect the health and well-being of diverse individuals,
groups, and communities.
This 2019 version of the Public Health Code of Ethics contains ethical standards and obligations for both public
health practitioners and institutions, and it is intended to guide individual and collective decision making, especially
in ethically challenging situations. Section 2 outlines the “what” of public health ethics; it lists and defnes the
shared foundational values of public health. These values form the high-level moral justifcation for public health
work. Section 3 provides guidance for the “how” of public health ethics; it provides a set of considerations for use
in a deliberative decision-making process that allows public health practitioners to ensure that authority and power
in public health are exercised in fair and productive ways. Section 4 provides ethical guidance for actions and
implementation strategies in 12 domains of public health practice, as identifed by the Public Health Accreditation
Board (PHAB)3. These domains do not exhaust the full range of the feld of public health, but they do provide a
well-recognized and useful map within which to organize the important action guides offered in this code. Those
practicing public health who do not locate their own activities on this map may nonetheless be able to develop
similar action guides that are germane to their own feld of operation.
Addressing complex ethics questions requires public health personnel to have a set of skills that include the ability
to:
Identify the ethical dimensions of public health work,
Articulate conficting values and ethical dilemmas when they arise,
Section 1: Introduction Public Health Code of Ethics 1
, Deliberate on options and courses of action using inclusive methods that engage individuals and groups
affected by public health work, and
Implement and evaluate solutions to keep the process open for revision, especially in situations where
information is limited or developing quickly.
How can social justice and the ideals and standards of normative ethics be integrated within the structure of
professional activity? Historically, part of the answer to this question has been provided by formal, written codes
of professional ethics. Yet, assessments differ concerning the purposes served by professional codes of ethics.
Some critics regard professions as nothing more than ways of making a living, or pathways to prestige and power.
Accordingly, these critics tend to regard ethics codes as self-serving statements that protect the power and status
of the profession and its members more than they protect the public interest.
However, even though codes have been used in professionally self-serving ways, they have also provided standards
that critics and reformers have used to render professionals more accountable and trustworthy. It is important not
to lose sight of the impartial ethical validity of the norms that codes can contain.
This code is premised on the belief that professions are not merely special interest groups within society but are
charged and entrusted—more stringently than other occupations—with service to society. As such, professions
must be dedicated and accountable to the people they serve. A code is not the only lens that society uses to
evaluate the performance of its professions, but it is a visible statement of the collective conscience of a profession,
and it is one benchmark against which specifc professional practices can be measured.
If, for the entire profession, a code is like a promise to society, for an individual professional a code is part of a
special commitment and a second identity. As human beings in families and societies, all people have ethical
standards, rights, obligations, and a personal moral conscience. When people become professionals, they take
on a second set of special responsibilities and obligations concerning how and for what ends their professional
knowledge and authority should be used. At times, the special obligations of one’s professional identity can
come into confict with one’s personal interests and even obligations. Fulflling the special ethical obligations of
a professional is not easy. When health care professionals report for duty during a public health emergency, for
example, they must leave their home and family, perhaps during a frightening and diffcult time. Public health
and safety professionals are expected to take risks and to put themselves in harm’s way as a professional ethical
obligation. Also, they are expected to put the public interest and the public trust ahead of their personal interests
and to never misuse their offce or authority for personal gain. Codes are documents in which such special
professional obligations are pledged and explained.
When refecting on ethics, many frst think of regulation, supervision, and formal enforcement. This code is not a
disciplinary or regulatory document; its importance derives from values and standards widely shared in the public
health profession and from the force of reasoned argument. It is meant to address the feld of public health, and
it is not intended to be used to discipline and sanction professional misconduct. It offers a discussion of ethics
that is sensitive to the varied nature of public health work and the contexts in which it takes place. It provides an
ethical framework to guide both individuals and organizations engaged in the pursuit of the health of the public.
Regulation, supervision, and formal enforcement play their part in ensuring that professional conduct meets high
ethical standards, but these matters should be addressed by duly authorized agencies and organizations.
Section 1: Introduction Public Health Code of Ethics 2
