POEM commits explicitly to every one of the fundamental values and subvalues of The International Charter for Human Values in Healthcare

The International Charter for Human Values in Healthcare was published by a multi-year international collaborative initiative, to describe the core values that every client/patient should be able to reliably depend upon finding in every healthcare encounter that they are involved in.

This list of values and subvalues, reprinted from Table 1 in:

Rider EA, Kurtz S, Slade D, Longmaid HE 3rd, Ho MJ, Pun JK, Eggins S, Branch WT Jr. The International Charter for Human Values in Healthcare: an interprofessional global collaboration to enhance values and communication in healthcare. Patient Educ Couns. 2014 Sep;96(3):273-80. Free fulltext link

represents an explicit commitment by POEM to every single one of the values and subvalues listed.

The International Charter for Human Values in Healthcare: fundamental values and subvalues

Fundamental Value 1: Compassion

Compassion should be central to human relationships. Compassion means to understand the condition of others, and to commit oneself to the healing and caring necessary to enhance health and relieve suffering. These values underlie our efforts to be compassionate.

• Capacity for caring
• Capacity for empathy
• Capacity for self-awareness
• Motivation to help, heal
• Capacity for kindness
• Capacity for genuineness
• Capacity for generosity
• Capacity for flexibility and adaptability in relationships
• Capacity for acceptance
• Capacity for curiosity
• Capacity for altruism
• Capacity for mindfulness

Fundamental Value 2: Respect for Persons

Respect should form the basis of all of our relationships.

• Respect for patient’s and their significant others’ viewpoints, opinions, wishes, beliefs
• Respect for cultural, social, gender, class, spiritual, and linguistic differences
• Respect for autonomy
• Respect for privacy and confidentiality
• Respect for all colleagues of the interprofessional team
• Humility

Fundamental Value 3: Commitment to Integrity and Ethical Practice

The healing professions are built around integrity and ethical practice. These must underlie and permeate all actions in the health professions.

• Commitment to honesty and trustworthiness
• Commitment to reliability
• Commitment to accountability and responsibility
• Commitment to the patient’s well-being
• Commitment to doing no harm
• Capacity to acknowledge one’s limits and seek guidance; awareness of own limitations
• Commitment to tolerance and non-judgmental care

Fundamental Value 4: Commitment to Excellence

We must dedicate ourselves to achieving excellence in all aspects of healthcare. Without excellence, no matter how well intentioned, our efforts to heal will fall short.

• Commitment to providing the best, most effective care (scientifically and psychosocially)
• Commitment to communication excellence
• Commitment to relational excellence
• Commitment to self-awareness and reflective practice
• Commitment to life-long learning, expertise, and professional development
• Commitment to serve the patient’s best interest

Fundamental Value 5: Justice in Healthcare

We believe that healthcare professionals should embrace the values of justice in healthcare, and commit themselves to advocating for and putting these values into action.

• Right to healthcare (information, access, quality)
• Right to equality
• Commitment to advocating for the patient
• Absence of discrimination and prejudice
• Attention to social factors, constraints, and barriers to care
• Commitment to social justice

Adapted from: The International Charter for Human Values in Healthcare. © 2013, 2014 International Research Centre for Communication in Healthcare. © 2011–2012 International Collaborative for Communication in Healthcare. All rights reserved.