In this module, you have learned about medical ethics in healthcare, including the four principles of ethical decision making and the relationship between ethics and patient-centered care. This discussion gives you the chance to do a little bit of fiction writing as you describe a situation of healthcare practice in which ethical considerations are being disregarded or misapplied.
Instructions
After reviewing the learning materials for this module, including Ethics in Health Care: Improving Patient Outcomes, it is your turn to create a short story that portrays an ethical lapse or an ethically thorny situation in healthcare.
- Write a brief description of a healthcare setting in 1–3 sentences.
- Write a short narrative, set in your healthcare setting, that tells the story of healthcare policies or practices in which ethical considerations are being disregarded or misapplied. Describe how this lack of attention to ethics affects patients and/or the professionals caring for them. As you write this description, you can use the four principles of ethical decision making to guide your writing, but don’t state in your narrative which of the principles are being violated.
- Post your narrative to the discussion board, and then respond to the narratives of at least 2 of your peers. As you respond, name which of the principles of ethical care have been violated in the story, and explain why.
- As the discussion progresses, make sure to engage the ethical reasoning of your classmates as they engage with the narratives, including your own. Don’t be afraid to disagree, but lead with curiosity about why someone might see things differently than you do.