Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39837768›Full record

ArticleJournal of public health (Oxford, England)2025

Creating codes of ethics for public health professionals and institutions.

James C Thomas, Peter Schröder-Bäck, Katarzyna Czabanowska, Paul Athanasopoulos, Joseph Mfutso-Bengo, Carrie Baldwin-SoRelle, Lena Strohmeier, Farhang Tahzib

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of public health (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. The Emergence of AI in Public Health Is Calling for Operational Ethics to Foster Responsible Uses.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

James C ThomasDepartment of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Peter Schröder-BäckInstitute for Ethics and History, University of Applied Sciences for Police and Public Administration in North Rhine-Westphalia, Aachen, Germany.
Katarzyna CzabanowskaDepartment of International Health, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI) FHML, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Paul AthanasopoulosDepartment of Public Health, NHS Forth Valley, Stirling, FK9 4SW, United Kingdom.
Joseph Mfutso-BengoDepartment of Health Systems and Policy, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
Carrie Baldwin-SoRelleHealth Sciences Library, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Lena StrohmeierDepartment of International Health, FHML, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0009-0009-5023-3797
Farhang TahzibFaculty of Public Health, London, NW1 4LB, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe World Health Organization and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region called for the professionalization of the public health workforce, including the creation of codes of ethics. In this article, the Public Health Ethics and Law Network provides guidance on creating such codes, based on values and principles commonly identified for public health.

methodsOur interest was in codes addressing public health broadly rather than disciplines within public health. Public Health codes of ethics are typically published on agency and organization websites rather than peer-reviewed literature. We searched several online databases, such as PubMed; United States government websites; Spanish language websites; and English language websites for public health organizations.

resultsWe synthesized the principles found into 10 adjectives-such as caring, responsive, and trustworthy-with short elaborations. These terms are practical, for non-philosophers, and provide flexibility for adaptation to country contexts.

conclusionsThe creation of a code of ethics should be followed by the identification and building of ethical competencies and capacity for public health professionals and institutions. There are plans to collaborate with pilot sites in the use and generation of further learning, and additional assistance for competencies and other resources to support a code of ethics and competencies.

Indexed as

Codes of EthicsPublic HealthHumansethicsprofessionalismpublic health

Identifiers

PMID39837768
PMCPMC12395943

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.