Addressing contemporary challenges in the Unified Code of Ethics for Health Educators

Abstract

Background: The Unified Code of Ethics (COE) for Health Educators adopted in 1999 was developed in the USA from the 1983 Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) COE and the 1993 American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) COE. While the Unified COE was intended to function as a living document, designed to mature as the needs of the health education professionals changed, it has only been updated once (in 2011) since its adoption in 1999. In addition, despite its commitment to keep up with advances in the field, the current COE does not explicitly address the need for ethical building blocks in health education curricula, or the reinforcement of ethical standards during the certification and recertification of health educators. It also fails to address challenges such as identifying and monitoring unethical practices in online education, and how health outcomes are affected by health literacy, cultural competency and cultural humility among other factors. Consequently, the health education profession requires an updated COE that addresses these gaps. Discussion: An updated COE holds potential to alter the way in which health education ethics are taught and practised. This re-evaluation can contribute to an overall change in health education practice, research and academic training, which can allow health educators to better meet the needs of the diverse communities they serve in an equitable and just manner. This article outlines some of the contemporary challenges health educators face in practice, training and research, and suggests ways in which the updated unified COE can address these challenges, help improve health outcomes and promote health equity.