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While financial audits have been commonplace for decades, a comparable process for examining documents and activity in the context of ethical implications is not common in healthcare or in other fields. Enter the ethics audit--a formal process of reviewing an organization's policies, procedures, and outcomes from an ethical perspective. The ethics audit is an effective way to ensure that your organization is fulfilling its mission, even in the most demanding times.
Warning Signs
The best time to conduct an ethics audit is when no apparent crisis exists. Indeed, one of the principal objectives of performing an audit is to identify potential difficulties and to address them before they become serious problems. When does an ethics audit become critical? Although no single issue or problem serves as a key indicator, an organization should seriously consider...