Toward a code of ethics for primary prevention.

This paper explores the topic of a code of ethics for primary prevention, and offers some tentative guidelines for the purpose of stimulating discussion. Codes of ethics provide guidelines for both procedural issues - such as the relationship of the practitioner with consumers, colleagues, and the community at large - and substantive issues - what goals and objectives to pursue, and how to resolve conflicts between them. This paper discusses some philosophical issues and then presents nine "rules" derived from the Hippocratic tradition, but expanded to fit the context of contemporary primary prevention.