331 Journal of Applied Arts & Health Volume 5 Number 3 © 2014 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. doi: 10.1386/jaah.5.3.331_1 keywordS arts health ethics first do no harm moral philosophy guidelines anita JenSen University of Nottingham and Hans Knudsen Instituttet considering ‘first, do no harm’ in arts and health practice abStract This article is concerned with ethical guidelines for arts and health practice; it considers ethics as moral philosophy, medical ethics and the medical principle of ‘first, do no harm’ in the context of arts and health practice. The article proposes a framework for optimizing practice in arts and health by ensuring that ethical consid- erations are in place to safeguard best practice for both participants and practition- ers/artists. These considerations include code of conduct, assessment of and briefing for participants, supervision for practitioners and documentation of outcomes. The article concludes that it is essential and ethical to develop guidelines to support and professionalize arts and health practice. introduction In this article, I suggest that arts and health professionals develop their own ethical guidelines. The scope of arts and health is broad; it encompasses vari- ous environments and settings that are often outside the hospital, in commu- nity locations or other non-clinical settings. Arts and health practice often involves participants who are physically and/or psychologically vulnerable. Consideration of this vulnerability is particularly important when dealing with participants outside clinical settings. Furthermore, the stakeholders who contrib- ute to the arts and health field are from multidisciplinary disciplines, includ- ing artists, health professionals, volunteers, students and arts administrators. It is therefore significant that ethical principles or guidelines would be able