Strategies for promoting ethical decision-making

The structured controversy as a strategy for helping the non-licensed caregiver make ethical decisions as well as develop critical thinking skills was an innovative teaching technique. Students in the Homecare/Special care aide program are essential providers of care to residents or clients in a special care facility or in a homecare setting. Theory and practice of ethical decision-making is not usually dealt with in the curriculum of the non-licensed caregiver. Implementation of this approach helped students learn theory and skills necessary when dealing with controversial issues in making ethical decisions. Thompson and Thompson's (1985) ten steps of bioethical decision-making were implemented to assist in the process. Structured controversy was defined and the process of implementing structured controversy outlined. A variety of ethical issues were presented based on the ethical principles of beneficence, justice, autonomy, truthfulness, confidentiality, and integrity (Yeo, 1991). Several definitions of critical thinking are presented.