Code of Ethics

The mission of the IAA is to promote excellence within the field of facial and somato prosthetics and to enhance the lives of patients. Implicit in this mission is the support of professional and ethical conduct among IAA members. Therefore the members of the International Anaplastology Association resolve to abide by these core values: honesty, competence, responsibility and respect as the foundation for the Member Code of Ethics.
 
The IAA is distinctly interdisciplinary. IAA members are from diverse educational backgrounds, but share the same objective of promoting high standards of patient care. In order to promote accepted procedures in promoting the free flow of accurate and truthful information, the IAA provides the following guidelines to assist its members in their working relations with colleagues, clients, employers, medical and dental professions, and members of allied professions.
 
        I.     HONESTY 
    • Adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in all communications.
    • Release information that is truthful and accurate when describing or reporting their qualifications and certification, services, products, fees, or research degrees, academic awards and employment history.
    • Accurately disclose professional qualifications and experience to the patient or client. 
      II.      COMPETENCE 
    • Strive to maintain high standards of competency in their work.
    • Recognize the limitations of their competencies and expertise and act in the best interest of the patient or client.
    • Advance the profession through continued professional development, research and education. 
    III.       RESPONSIBILITY 
    • Protect patients, clients, students, colleagues and others from harm.
    • Uphold professional standards of conduct, understand their professional roles and obligations, and accept appropriate responsibility.
    • Consult with, refer to, or cooperate with other healthcare professionals and institutions to the extent needed to serve the best interests of patients, or other recipients of their services.
    • Build mutual understanding, credibility and relationships among other healthcare professionals and institutions.
    • Claim as credentials only degrees that were earned from a nationally accredited educational institution.
    • Take responsibility and credit only for work they have actually performed or to which they have contributed.
    • Attend IAA annual conferences and other relevant professional meetings whenever possible. Endeavor to present and publish techniques, clinical reports, research results and investigations to disseminate information in keeping with the IAA mission. 
    IV.      RESPECT 
    • Respect the fundamental rights, dignity, and worth of all people.
    • Deal fairly with all people without regards to age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status.
    • Respect the rights of all people to privacy, confidentiality, self-determination, and autonomy.
    • Respect free and open competition without deliberately undermining a competitor. 
      V.     ADVOCACY 
    • Serve the organization by acting as responsible advocates for the profession.
    • Provide, present and publish techniques, clinical reports, research results and investigations to disseminate information in keeping with the IAA mission.
    • Take reasonable precautions to ensure their statements are based on appropriate scientific literature and practice when presenting information by means of lectures, demonstrations, radio or television programs, printed material, as well as digital or web based media. 
    VI.      PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT 
    • Are responsible for their own ethical conduct.
    • Act promptly to correct any instance of ethical misconduct.
    • Keep informed and educated about practices in the profession to ensure ethical conduct.
    • Counsel colleagues in proper ethical decision-making to prevent or avoid the appearance of unethical conduct.
    • Report ethical violations to the IAA Bylaws and Ethics Committee.
    • Observe this Code of Ethics when making public statements relating to their professional services, products, or publications or to the field of anaplastology.(Public statements include but are not limited to paid or unpaid advertising, brochures, printed matter, directory listings, personal resumes or curriculum vitae, interviews or comments for use in media, statements in legal proceedings, lectures and public oral presentations, and published materials.)
    • Accept that interpretation of the Code of Ethics shall be a function of the Bylaws and Ethics Committee. 
  VII.       STANDARDS OF FAIR PRACTICE 
    • The IAA is distinctly interdisciplinary. IAA members are from diverse educational backgrounds, but share the same objective of promoting high standards of patient care. In order to promote accepted procedures in promoting the free flow of accurate and truthful information, the IAA provides the following guidelines to assist its members in their working relations with colleagues, clients, employers, medical and dental professions, and members of allied professions. 
VIII.        DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION 
    • Take reasonable precautions to ensure their statements are based on appropriate scientific literature and practice when presenting information by means of lectures, demonstrations, radio or television programs, printed articles, mailed material, or other media.
    • Insure that their public statements are not false, deceptive, misleading, or fraudulent, either because of what they state, convey, or suggest or because of what they omit.
    • Fully disclose any financial interest in a product, business, or vendor, which may represent a conflict of interest when presenting information by means of lectures, demonstrations, printed articles or other media.
    • Members must name, cite and acknowledge sources, contributors and other persons relevant in development of technique, research concepts, or other presented material as appropriate. 
    IX.      SAFEGUARDING THE PROFESSION 
    • Include all contributors to the development of their techniques, case reports or research.
    • Do not plagiarize. Members do not present substantial portions or elements of another's concept, work or data as their own, even if the other work or data source is cited occasionally.
    • Do not publish, as original, work that has been previously published. This does not preclude republishing data when accompanied by proper acknowledgment.
    • Do not falsify results or data in their publications or presentations. If significant errors in published or presented reports are discovered, members take reasonable steps to correct such errors in a published correction, retraction, or other appropriate means.
    • Design, conduct, and report research in accordance with recognized standards of scientific competence and ethical research. Members plan their research so as to minimize the possibility that results will be misleading. 
      X.     SAFEGUARDING CONFIDENCES 
    • Safeguard in their writings, lectures, or other public media, confidential, personally identifiable information concerning their patients, or other recipients of their services that they obtained during the course of their work.
    • Fully inform patients of how any personally identifiable information is to be used and obtain written consent in compliance with public laws and regulations.
    • Maintain confidentiality in creating, storing, accessing, transferring, and disposing of records under their control, whether these are written, or in any other medium in accordance with public laws and regulations. 
    XI.      PLEDGE
 
As an IAA member, I will take responsibility for my actions. I pledge to conduct myself professionally, with honesty, respect, and responsibility to the patient; to respect the rights of patients, colleagues and others; to improve my competence and knowledge through continuing education; and to abide by the IAA Code of Ethics. I understand and accept that there is a consequence for misconduct, including membership revocation.
 
XII.         INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT 
    • The Bylaws and Ethics Committee is composed of the Past President's Council (last four Past Presidents, one of which is the current Immediate Past President) and the Director in the second year of their two year term. Violation of ethical principles, as stated or inferred by this Code can be reported to the Committee by any member or nonmember of the IAA. This committee is charged by the IAA Board to interpret the Code as it applies to cases brought before it and to make recommendations to the member for corrective actions.
    • The IAA Board of Directors, upon the advice of the Bylaws and Ethics Committee, may request the resignation of a member in question or terminate his/her membership if failure to uphold the recommendations made by the Bylaws and Ethics Committee occurs. Termination of Membership will be carried forth as outlined in Article III, Section 10 of the Bylaws of the International Anaplastology Association. 
  XII.       AMENDMENTS 
    • Future amendments to this document may be adopted by IAA Active Members as outlined in Article XI, Section 4 (Amendments) of the Bylaws of the IAA. 
GRIEVANCES
 
The IAA entrusts its members to abide by the IAA Code of Ethics. The purpose of the Code is to ensure that every member understands the obligations and expectations of ethical behavior that are an integral part of membership. The Code should be considered as a guide that members can refer to in their individual and institutional practices. The fact that the Code of Ethics does not address a specific conduct issue does not mean that it is considered either ethical or unethical. The Bylaws and Ethics Committee can assist members requesting clarifications of proper and improper behavior. The Committee is composed of the Past Presidents’ Council (last four Past Presidents, one of which is the current Immediate Past President) and the Director in the second year of their two year term.
 
Please click here for the Ethics Complaint Form.