Narrative ethics for narrative care.

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Narrative Theory
• Healthcare Studies

Background:

• Narrative is integral to healthcare, influencing patient histories, policy development, and care delivery.
• The role of narrative in healthcare has evolved from an object of study to a lens for analysis and now a form of care.
• Current ethical approaches in healthcare often use narratives to inform decisions, but not as the core process itself.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for a shift towards narrative ethics within the field of healthcare ethics.
• To establish narrative as the fundamental form and process for ethical decision-making in narrative care.
• To propose a theoretical foundation for integrating narrative understanding into ethical practice.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical argumentation
• Conceptual analysis
• Literature review on narrative theory and ethics in healthcare

Main Results:

• Humans are fundamentally narrative beings, constructing meaning through stories.
• Actions are both narratively based and contextually situated within broader narratives.
• Understanding the nature, form, and content of personal and collective narratives is crucial.

Conclusions:

• Narrative care necessitates a move to narrative ethics, where narrative is the process of ethical decision-making.
• Recognizing individuals as narrative beings provides an intersubjective basis for ethical action.
• This approach enhances ethical practice by grounding it in the lived experiences and storytelling inherent in healthcare.