Written by Mahoganie Hines
Have you ever had a challenging patient, or perhaps even a family member who you could not seem to see eye to eye with? Have you ever had to implement a policy you did not agree with or felt that it wasn’t true to what you felt you should be doing? Have you ever had a co-worker share their own personal information that made you feel uncomfortable? If you answered yes to any of these you may have experienced an ethical tension.
Have you ever had a challenging patient, or perhaps even a family member who you could not seem to see eye to eye with?
What is an ethical tension you may ask? Well let’s break down the components of it. Ethics explores what is right and wrong. It examines the rational ways in which we apply our moral judgments. Bioethics is the study of ethical, social, as well as legal tensions or issues that frequently come up in healthcare, medicine, and research. Ethical tensions or dilemmas can exist where we personally believe the boundaries of right and wrong to be and those beliefs are challenged. These tensions can happen between people, people and organizations/policies, people and laws/rules, or even people and themselves. When these tensions are not addressed it can lead to frustration, compassion fatigue, moral distress and even burnout.
Palliative care is a healthcare sector that is fraught with ethical tensions and dilemmas. It is important for us to remember the roles that we play in people’s lives when these difficult situations arise and know how to best navigate the grey liminal spaces where there isn’t always a clear road map of how to address difficult situations.
Some examples of ethical tensions that commonly arise in palliative and end of life care include, but are not limited to:
- Whether or not someone should or should want to eat or drink.
- Whether we believe someone should be able to continue to use substances- like smoke cigarettes or marijuana, drink alcohol or take unprescribed medications or supplements.
- Whether the family of the person thinks that they are getting too much or too little pain medication.
- Keeping someone alive as long as possible, even if they are in the end stages of their illness.
- Whether someone should have a bath or shower 2-3 times a week.
- If we should restrict the number of visitors during an outbreak.
- If it should be quiet and peaceful at end of life.
I would implore you to consider what do you think about each of these situations? Do you have a strong feeling one way or another, do you think one way is always right or wrong? The discussion in the webinar will give you the opportunity to explore what you consider to be right or wrong and also push you to consider why some people may think and choose differently than you would in each situation. In this webinar, we will explore where you can go for resources and supports should you find yourself in an ethical dilemma.
The discussion in the webinar will give you the opportunity to explore what you consider to be right or wrong….
There is not a one size fits all answer to any of these situations. In palliative care we need to be adaptable to each scenario find the best path forward together with those who we are supporting and caring for. We will also explore when we might need to step away.