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Related Concept Videos

Ethics and Bioethics01:22

Ethics and Bioethics

Ethics is a philosophical study of moral actions. Ethics attempts to determine what is valuable for individuals and society. It examines the rational justification of moral judgments and analyzes what is morally just, fair, and right. Bioethics is a sub-discipline of applied ethics that analyzes the philosophical, social, and legal issues in life sciences and medicine. Ethical theories serve as a foundation for decision-making and represent the viewpoints from which people seek direction. They...
Nursing Ethical Principles I01:22

Nursing Ethical Principles I

Ethical principles serve as the moral compass in the longstanding tradition of nursing, guiding healthcare professionals in their interactions with patients and families. These principles, namely autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, provide a robust framework for navigating the ethical complexities of daily nursing practice.
Autonomy
Autonomy underscores the significance of a patient's self-determination and freedom from external control. In healthcare, respecting the...
Nursing Ethical Principles II01:27

Nursing Ethical Principles II

Ethical principles are essential in guiding nurses to fulfill their responsibilities, focusing on the quality of nursing care and decision-making. These principles, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, shape the ethical framework within healthcare settings.
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Ethics in Research01:56

Ethics in Research

Today, scientists agree that good research is ethical in nature and is guided by a basic respect for human dignity and safety. However, this has not always been the case. Modern researchers must demonstrate that the research they perform is ethically sound.
Ethical Dilemmas I01:17

Ethical Dilemmas I

Ethical dilemmas in nursing are of utmost importance, as they often arise from the tension between adhering to core ethical principles and the practical realities of healthcare delivery. These dilemmas require nurses to navigate complex situations where competing ethical considerations pull them in different directions.
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
Ethical Dilemmas II01:30

Ethical Dilemmas II

Resolving an ethical dilemma in healthcare involves a systematic approach that considers every aspect of the issue, respecting both the patient's needs and values and the healthcare professional's ethical obligations. Here are potential steps to resolve an ethical dilemma:

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Virtuous acts as practical medical ethics: an empirical study.

Miles Little1, Jill Gordon, Pippa Markham

  • 1Centre for Values, Ethics and Law in Medicine, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. miles.little@sydney.edu.au

Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
|August 6, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Medical practitioners prioritize virtuous acts in ethical decision-making, viewing them as context-dependent rather than fixed traits. This approach is crucial for safeguarding patient well-being and human flourishing.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • Philosophy of Medicine
  • Qualitative Research

Background:

  • Virtues play a significant role in the ethical behavior and reflection of medical practitioners.
  • Understanding the nature and scope of these virtues is essential for medical education and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the nature, scope, and significance of virtues in the biographies of medical practitioners.
  • To determine the specific virtues influencing their ethical behavior and reflection.

Main Methods:

  • A case study involving 19 medical practitioners from Sydney Medical School.
  • Semi-structured narrative interviews were conducted and analyzed using dialectical empiricism and constant comparison.

Main Results:

  • Virtuous acts were central to participants' moral assessments of themselves and others.
  • Virtue was linked to context-specific acts protecting fundamental values like ontological security and human flourishing.
  • Virtue ethics was the most important ethical system for all participants.

Conclusions:

  • Virtue ethics, focused on acts in contexts of risk to foundational values, is a natural approach for medical practitioners.
  • Medical ethics education must prioritize virtuous acts for students and graduates.