Dependent rational providers.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Medical Ethics
• Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

• Conscientious objection claims by healthcare providers spark debate.
• Patient-provider conflicts present fundamental challenges in healthcare practice.
• Existing frameworks often overlook the reciprocal nature of patient-provider relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze patient-provider conflict through the moral tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas.
• To reframe healthcare practice as practical reasoning incorporating moral and professional commitments.
• To explore how providers can account for patient needs and vice versa.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes the moral philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas.
• Incorporates Alasdair MacIntyre's account of dependence from "Dependent Rational Animals."
• Extends Aquinas's concept of practical reasoning to include human embodied vulnerability.

Main Results:

• Healthcare practice is a form of practical reasoning requiring moral and professional commitments.
• Providers depend on patient feedback for assessing the effectiveness of their reasoning.
• This perspective necessitates attending to patient suffering and its alleviation.

Conclusions:

• Providers must view patients as fellow humans, not just subjects of moral reflection.
• This approach does not eliminate conflict but requires meaningful engagement with patient suffering.
• It encourages seeking feedback to ensure interventions effectively address patient needs and suffering.