Ethical Dilemmas Flashcards
What responsibilities does a veterinary nurse have for animal welfare?
- Motivation
- Emergencies
- Advice
- Being approachable
- Volunteering
- Prevent unnecessary suffering
- Education
- Assess holistic welfare
What are ethics?
The basis on which people, individually or collectively, decide that certain actions are right or wrong and whether one ought to do something or has a right to something
What are the 3 main approaches to ethics?
- Rules and duties to other humans
- Outcomes of decisions
- Becoming a better person
What are common ethical issues in a veterinary practice?
- Tail docking
- Suffering
- Abuse
- Elderly patients
- Financial
- Differing morals
- Pain
- Convenience euthanasia
- Poor practice
What are other ethical concepts that might be seen in practice?
- Anthropomorphism
- Speciesism
- Supernaturalism
- Subjectivism
- Medical ethics
What is anthromorphism?
Giving animals human traits, qualities and characteristics
What is speciesism?
The idea that humans, or other animal species, are superior and have more right over other species
What is supernaturalism?
The idea of God-based ethics that would allow those with disease to die without treatment
What is subjectivism?
Allowing different moral standards in deferent situations
What is meant by the term ‘medical ethics’
Encompassing kindness, autonomy and justice as they relate to conflicts such as euthanasia, patient confidentiality, informed consent and conflicts of interest in healthcare
How do you make ethical decisions?
- Identify all the possible courses of action
- Don’t let personal opinions and values interfere
- Establish the interests of affected parties
- Consult related legal or professional guidance
- Formulate an ethical decision
- Minimise the impact of a decision
