Ethics Flashcards
What do we mean when we talk about ethics?
- Study, elaboration and discussion of standards for the right action: “What is the right thing to do?”
- And analysis of the source of these judgements.
- Why? Is the most important question. It is important to be able to articulate why something is right or wrong.
According to J-P Ricoeur, what is the aim of ethics?
The good life with and for others, in just institutions.
What is the difference between personal and professional ethics?
There are certain expectations of physiotherapists as professionals that must be upheld. So while one may hold personal beliefs about what is right or wrong, in a regulated profession such as PT there are certain ethical standards that must be upheld. Such as not being friends with a patient on Facebook.
Who is involved in ethical aspects of healthcare?
It is the responsibility of all HCPs to uphold ethical practice
Clinical and Research Ethics Committees
Clinical Ethics Consultants are available in hospitals to help with challenging cases.
Patients, Families.
What are some examples of vocabulary that suggests that an ethical issue is at play?
- Confidentiality
- Autonomy
- Right or wrong
- Vulnerability
- Obligations
- Promoting Well-Being
- Professional Boundaries
- Conflict of Interest: A conflict of interest is something else (other factor) that is influencing your primary obligation to your patient (such as financial interest or personal gains).
- Trust
- Best Interest
- Avoid Harm
- Judgement
- Just or unjust
Recall: Rehabilitation as a health care strategy
What is distinctive about rehab ethics?
Rehabilitation is the health strategy that aims to enable people with health conditions experiencing or likely to experience disability to achieve and maintain optimal functioning in interaction with the environment.
What is distinct: Team work, goal setting(what is important to pt), participatory approach (work with the pt, not for the pt), contexts of care (home care-you are a guest in their home), risks (#1 issue in rehab ethics, driving, discharge), focus on individual in society (function, occupation), discontinuities and personal identity (ppl responding to a new acquired disability, new identity).
What are the most common ethical issues that OTs and PTs encounter in clinical practice?
- Reimbursement pressure.
- Conflicts over goal setting.
- Pt and family refusal of treatment.
- Justifying knowledge where evidence lacks.
- Distress at not being able to act effectively on behalf of the patient.
- Issues associated w/ interdisciplinary work.
More:
- Pt vs PT autonomy
- Risk taking behaviour of pt
- Challenging behaviour of pt
- Resource use and prioritization; allocation scare resources
- Informed consent
- Confidentiality
- Autonomy and preferences
- System and Institutional Issues
- End of life plans and decisions
- Insurance issues
- Conflicting goals
- Decision making capacity
- Discharge planning
What are 4 key considerations for Julie’s case and with ethical decision?
- Capacity
- Consent
- Confidentiality
- Managing Risk
What are the elements of capacity?
What does a competency assessment evaluate?
- Not all or nothing: Someone can remain competent in making decisions in 1 area of their life (financial) but not another area of their life (health care).
- Different domains of competency
- Clinical and Legal Concepts
- Assumption of competency: In clinical care we assume that everyone is competent.
- Sliding scale
Evaluate whether the individual understands:
- The condition for which treatment is propose
- Nature and purpose of treatment
- Risks involved in treatment
- Risks in forgoing treatment
- Whether or not individual;s ability to consent is affect by his/her condition.
- What is the legal context for informed consent in QC?
2. What are the components of informed consent?
- Everyone is entitled to the integrity of his person.
- Except in cases permitted by law, no one may interfere w/ his person w/ out his free and enlightened consent.
- No person may be made to undergo care of any nature (such as treatment) except w/ his consent.
- Ppl can refuse care. - What would a reasonable person need to know to make a decision?
- Information
- Voluntariness
- Comprehension
- Implicit (Ie when a patient just brings you a doctors note it is assumed they are agreeing to being seen by PT) and explicit consent
- Written consent in certain circumstance.
What is the duty of confidentiality?
What is it based on?
The right to have health information kept private.
- Everyone has the right to respect for their privacy.
- Confidentiality is a duty owed to the patient.
- Confidentiality is based on the trust nature of the HCP-pt relationship.
What are exceptions to confidentiality?
-Expressed Waiver: when a pt gives you permission to discuss their information w/ someone else.
Duties to disclose: Public health (certain diseases), child abuse, births and deaths, driving (permitted but not required in QC), court of law, duty to warn third party (to make a judgement use: clarity, seriousness, immanence)- like w/ suicide the law requires you to take action if you can answer these 3 questions and the person is a danger to themselves or others.
Managing Risk:
What types of risks must a PT manage?
Risks to the public: Driving, return home at risk of starting a fire.
Risk to self: Dysphagia (aspiration), D/C to unsafe location, not following precautions or contraindications
Risk to family, friends of pt.
Why is it important to assess risk?
What are the components of risk assessment?
Risk is subjective: what seems rational to one person may seem risky to another. everyone has different perceptions that influence their view of risk.
Risk Localization: What is the risk?
Risk Estimation: How likely is it?
Risk Evaluation: How significant are the consequences?
Risk Management: Harm reduction, make it less likely or less severe.
ex: Find a friend for Julie to go home w/
At what level can resource allocation happen?
Macro: Health care system (money for paediatric hospital vs LTC)
Meso: Hospital, regional health authority (allocation between programs in a hospital)
Micro: Bedside decision-making, decision among pts (How to allocate time between pts. Management of PT wait list)