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Ethics Committee Report

Fall 2008
The Ethics Committee is a joint committee of the Board of Directors, House of Delegates and Commission on Dietetic Registration. The purpose of the Ethics Committee is to review, promote and enforce the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics. The committee is also responsible for educating members, credentialed practitioners, students and the public about the ethical principles of the Code of Ethics. Below you will find a progress report related to the committee’s eleven (11) goals established for the 2008-2009 program year.

Address ethics complaints of an alleged violation in a timely manner.

Status: Four new cases have been submitted since June 1, 2008 and four cases continued from the 2007-2008 program year. Three cases are currently under investigation; one case is closed with action and four cases were closed without action.
Publish the fourth Ethics Opinion entitled "Weight Loss Products and Over-the-Counter Medications” in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association by October 2008.

Status: The Ethics Committee solicited input during a 60-day member in April and May 2008. The authors revised the draft Ethics Opinion and the committee approved it for publication in the December 2008 Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Develop and publish the fifth Ethics Opinion to address health disparities and the responsibility of the profession of dietetics (based on the Fall 2007 HOD Meeting dialogue).

Status: The Ethics Committee selected authors and reviewers to develop the fifth Ethics Opinion. A draft outline was approved by the committee. A first draft of the Ethics Opinion will be submitted for discussion during the Ethics Committee October 26 meeting in Chicago.
Identify three to five topics and names of potential authors for developing a minimum of four “Ethics in Action” columns in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Status: Three “Ethics in Action” columns were published since June 1, 2008:
1. Employment References – Giving and Receiving (June 2008)
2. Ethical Practice in Food Service Management (July 2008)
3. The Electronic Health Record, Genetic Information and Patient Privacy (August 2008).
Two additional columns are in development:
1. Healthy aging in the community setting
2. Developing healthy menus within budget constraints.
The committee has suspended further development of “Ethics in Action” columns until the new ADA/CDR Code of Ethics is published in August 2009.
Update the Code of Ethics “For Further Reading” list and distribute to members via the HOD CoI, DPG and Affiliate EMLs, and Dietetics CoI. This document will be posted to the ADA Web site. Updates will occur in August 2008 and January 2009.

Status: The “For Further Reading” list was updated in September 2008. The updated list can be found on the Code of Ethics Web page. A proposal to revise and update the list is under discussion by the Ethics Committee. Watch for new and a more concise list in January 2009.
Participate in the review, revision and approval of the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics in collaboration with the Commission on Dietetic Registration, House of Delegates and the ADA Board of Directors.

Status: The Ethics Committee has been actively involved in the review and revision of the Code of Ethics. The draft revised Code has been released to the House of Delegates for review in advance of a discussion session which will occur on Friday, October 24, 1:45 to 3:15 p.m. A member comment period will occur from October 24, 2008 through January 23, 2009. All members and credentialed practitioners will be asked to review and provide input.
Develop and initiate implementation of a marketing and education campaign for the 2009 revised Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics. Elements of the campaign should include the following:
— Offer an educational presentation for each of the DEP Area Meetings in 2009 with focus on the 2009 revised Code of Ethics. Request to be submitted to the chair of DEP DPG (complete by September 2008).
— Conduct a presentation to the House of Delegates on the 2009 House of Delegates’ Fall Meeting. Request submitted to the Speaker for consideration (complete by July 2008).
— Develop additional case studies for the various areas of practice along with educational tools for posting on the ADA Web site (complete by January 2009).

Status: The Ethics Committee and Code of Ethics Task Force have been collaborating on this goal. A plan for assisting dietetics educators to understand and teach the 2009 Code of Ethics is in development. The Code of Ethics Task Force will present the draft revised Code of Ethics to the House of Delegates on Friday, October 24, 1:45 to 3:15 p.m. And, finally, a series of video tapes on ethics is being planned. The first videotape is planned for release in December 2008.
Develop and submit an ethics education session for FNCE 2009.

Status: The Ethics Committee is in the process of developing an education session proposal for the 2009 FNCE. The focus of the session will be to increase member understanding and application of the 2009 Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics into daily practice.
Identify potential speaker(s) and topics for the FNCE 2009 President’s Lecture or Member Show Case.

Status: The committee has not taken any action on the goal at this time.
Collaborate with the two speakers of the Ethics Committee sponsored session for the 2008 FNCE.

Status: The Ethics Committee has been communicating with the two speakers for the Ethics Committee sponsored session at FNCE 2008. The session is entitled: “Business Dispute and Ethical Misconduct: What’s the Difference?” and will be conducted on Monday, October 27, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.
Conduct one meeting (FNCE, October 2008) and a minimum of six conference calls to address issues before the Ethics Committee.

Status: The Ethics Committee has conducted two (2) conference calls and will be meeting during FNCE 2008.

More detailed information is available on the ADA Web site via the link below. For additional information, please contact Harold Holler (hholler@eatright.org or 800/877-1600 ext 4896).

2008-2009 Ethics Committee
Cheryl Bittle, PhD, RD, LD, chair (CDR Representative); Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA, (BOD Representative); Dianne Polly, RD, JD, LD (HOD Representative); Harold Holler, RD, ADA Staff; Heidi Schwartz, MS, RD, CSP, ADA Staff; and Craig Busey, ADA Legal Counsel

Code of Ethics

Print Version