The AANA code of ethics includes several professional responsibilities. Which of the following best represents one of those responsibilities?

• A. Honesty in advertising services
• B. Responsibility as a professional
• C. Duty to protect patient autonomy exclusively
• D. Confidentiality in marketing

Answer: (B)

Professional responsibility sits at the heart of the AANA Code of Ethics. It means acting with integrity, maintaining competence, prioritizing patient welfare, and being accountable for your actions. This broad-duty mindset underpins how a practitioner should behave in all aspects of care and professional life, not just in isolated tasks.

Honesty in advertising services is important and falls under ethical conduct, but it’s a specific behavior within the broader duty of being a professional. The obligation to protect patient autonomy is a key ethical principle, yet it isn’t the sole or exclusive duty of a professional; clinicians balance autonomy with safety, beneficence, and other responsibilities. Confidentiality is crucial for patient care, but “confidentiality in marketing” is not the standard framing for professional responsibility.

So, the statement that best represents one of those responsibilities is the broad expectation of professional responsibility itself.