Abstract

Communicating about health inherently raises ethical issues. The purpose of this chapter is to underscore the importance of recognizing ethical issues in health communication in various settings. The chapter’s first section provides an overview of several ethical theoretical approaches and guiding precepts that can direct our thinking on ethical issues in health communication. The second presents several ethical issues in clinical and organizational settings. The third concentrates on ethical issues associated with health communication in digital and social media contexts. The fourth focuses on ethics in health communication and social marketing campaigns. The chapter concludes by noting implications of ethical issues in health communication for advocacy.