Course Content
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1.1 What is Healthcare Ethics?
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1.2 How Ethics Has Evolved in the Optical Professions
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1.3 Why Ethics Matters in Optical Practice
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1.4 The Role of the General Optical Council
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2.1 Autonomy: Informed Consent and Respecting Patient Choice
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2.2 Beneficence: Acting in the Patient’s Best Interests
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2.3 Non-Maleficence: Avoiding Harm in Optical Practice
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2.4 Justice: Fair Treatment and Equality
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2.5 Confidentiality: Protecting Patient Information
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3.1 Overview of the GOC Standards of Practice
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3.2 Standards for Optical Businesses
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3.3 Key Professional Behaviours: Safety, Communication, and Integrity
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3.4 Continuing Professional Development
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3.5 The GOC Fitness-to-Practise Process
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3.6 Insight and Remediation in Regulatory Decisions
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4.1 Honesty in Clinical Advice and Professional Conduct
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4.2 Ethical Advertising and Public Representation
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4.3 The Duty of Candour: When Something Goes Wrong
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4.4 Accurate Documentation and Record-Keeping
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5.1 Respecting Individual Needs, Values, and Preferences
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5.2 Effective Communication in Optical Practice
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5.3 Shared Decision-Making in Clinical and Commercial Contexts
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5.4 Working with Vulnerable Patients
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6.1 Maintaining Appropriate Patient-Professional Relationships
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6.2 Romantic or Sexual Relationships: A Strict Prohibition
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6.3 Conflicts of Interest and Commercial Boundaries
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6.4 Digital and Social Media Boundaries
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6.5 Managing Inappropriate Behaviour from Patients
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7.1 Common Ethical Breaches
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7.2 Consequences: Professional, Legal, and Reputational
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7.3 The GOC Investigation Process
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7.4 Remediation: Reflection, Behavioural Change, and Demonstrating Insight
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2.0