Ethical Judgments and Conflicts (Case Studies)
Ethical Problems
An ethical problem arises when a situation creates a conflict between two or more moral norms or principles.
The four most common types of ethical problems
Ethical dilemma Ethical dilemmas of justice Ethical distress Locus of authority issues
Role fidelity
Faithful or accurate in details
Ethical Solutions
Finding solutions to these ethical problems requires understanding your own personal values, understanding the professional code of ethics and/or the conduct under which your practice falls, applying the seven principles of biomedical ethics, and using a step-by-step approach in making ethical decisions.
Veracity
Telling the truth
Autonomy
a person's right to decide his or her own course of life .
Ethical dilemma
a type of problem created when one is faced with a situation in which there is actually more than one ethical course of action.
Ethical distress
created when there is an obvious correct solution to an ethical problem but institutional constraints prohibit the correct solution from being applied.
Beneficence
doing good
Nonmaleficence
doing no harm
Locus of authority issues
occurs when there are questions regarding who is responsible or under whose authority something falls
Confidentiality
private or privileged information not available through common sources
Ethical dilemmas of justice
problems that arise in association with the distribution of benefits and burdens on a societal basis. In healthcare, this involves such questions as who will receive the benefit of advanced imaging technology or how to prioritize the delivery of services.
Justice
treatment of all with fairness and equality
