Strategies for Navigating Common Ethical Dilemmas Encountered by Operational Radiation Safety Professionals.
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SUBMITTER: Emery RJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5565262 | biostudies-other | 2016 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:BackgroundHealthcare professionals (HCPs), patients and families are often faced with ethical dilemmas. The role of healthcare ethics committees (HECs) is to offer support in these situations.AimThe primary objective was to study how often HCPs encounter ethical dilemmas. The secondary objective was to identify the main types of ethical dilemmas encountered and how HCPs solve them.Subjects and methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, survey-based study among HCPs in 14 Slovenian hospitals. A questionnaire was designed and validated by HCPs who were selected by proportional stratified sampling. Data collection took place between April 2015 and April 2016.ResultsThe final sample size was n = 485 (385 or 79.4%, female). The response rates for HCPs working in secondary and tertiary level institutions were 45% and 51%, respectively. Three hundred and forty (70.4%) of 485 HCPs (very) frequently encountered ethical dilemmas. Frequent ethical dilemmas were waiting periods for diagnostics or treatment, suboptimal working conditions due to poor interpersonal relations on the ward, preserving patients' dignity, and relations between HCPs and patients. Physicians and nurses working in secondary level institutions, compared to their colleagues working in tertiary level institutions, more frequently encountered ethical dilemmas with respect to preserving patients' dignity, protecting patients' information, and relations between HCPs and patients. In terms of solutions, all HCPs most frequently discussed ethical dilemmas with co-workers (colleagues), and with the head of the department. According to HCPs, the most important role of HECs is staff education, followed by improving communication, and reviewing difficult ethical cases.ConclusionsWaiting periods for diagnostics and treatment and suboptimal working conditions due to poor interpersonal relations are considered to be among the most important ethical issues by HCPs in Slovenian hospitals. The most important role of HECs is staff education, improving communication, and reviewing difficult ethical cases.
| S-EPMC7360038 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveAcute care at home is increasing. We aimed to determine the views of healthcare professionals on the ethics of providing home care and compare the impact of situational changes on their opinions.DesignAn analysis of opinions of home healthcare professionals.SettingThe Australasian Hospital-in-the-Home Annual Conference, November 2017.ParticipantsEighty physicians, nurses and allied health staff who provide acute care for children and adults at home.MethodsClinical scenarios were presented about a 14 years old receiving intravenous antibiotics at home via an established home care pathway, and participants were asked to vote manually on whether providing home care was ethical.Main outcomesThe proportions of healthcare professionals who believed that provision of home care was ethical in different situations.ResultsFor each question the response rate ranged from 71% to 100%. While the provision of acute home care was deemed ethical by the majority (77/80, 96%), this decreased when other factors were involved such as domestic violence (37/63 (59%) OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.20, p<0.001) and parental reluctance (28/67 (42%) OR 0.02, 95% CI 0.008 to 0.09, p<0.001). The age of consent affected the proportion who considered home care ethical against parental wishes: 16 years (48/58, 83%) versus 14 years (33/53, 52%) OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.9 to 10.1, p<0.001. The lowest proportion to consider home care ethical (16%) was when home care was deemed less than hospital care.ConclusionsHome healthcare providers are supportive of the ethics of providing acute care at home for children, although differ among themselves with situational complexities. Applying the tenets of medical ethics (autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice) can provide insights into the factors that may influence opinions.
| S-EPMC7015051 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimTo assess the differences in the way how Slovenian and Croatian health care professionals (HCPs) confront ethical dilemmas and perceive the role of hospital ethics committees (HECs).MethodsThis cross-sectional, survey-based study involved HCPs from three Slovenian and five Croatian university medical centers (UMC). The final sample sizes were 308 (244 or 79.2% women) for Slovenia and 485 (398 or 82.1% women) for Croatia.ResultsCompared with Croatian physicians, Slovenian physicians reported a higher share of ethical dilemmas regarding waiting periods for diagnostics or treatment, suboptimal working conditions due to interpersonal relationships in the ward, and end-of-life treatment withdrawal, and a lower share regarding access to palliative care and patient information protection. Compared with Croatian nurses, Slovenian nurses reported a lower share of ethical dilemmas regarding the distribution of limited resources, recognizing the patient's best interests, and access to palliative care. Compared with Croatian other HCPs, Slovenian other HCPs reported a lower burden of ethical dilemmas regarding waiting periods for diagnostics or treatment, distribution of limited resources, and access to palliative care. When encountering an ethical dilemma, all HCPs in both countries would first consult their colleagues. Slovenian and Croatian HCPs recognized the importance of the HECs to a similar extent, but viewed their role differently.ConclusionCroatian and Slovenian HCPs are confronted with different ethical dilemmas and perceive the role of HECs differently.
| S-EPMC8107988 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCriminals in Japan with mental disorders face penal servitude in prison or treatment under the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act, depending on their ability to take responsibility for their criminal acts. Forensic psychiatric nurses caring for this group may face various ethical issues.ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify ethical issues forensic psychiatric nurses in Japan encountered.MethodWe used the Ethical Issues Scale to conduct a survey among forensic healthcare ward nurses and analyzed the data using descriptive statistics. We also conducted semistructured interviews with individual nurses who provided signed consent and responded to the initial survey on ethical issues they encountered. These data were analyzed using Berelson's content analysis.ResultsOf 175 nurses, 131 answered our survey. The most frequently encountered ethical issue was "protecting patients' rights and human dignity," and the most disturbing ethical issue was "providing nursing care with possible health risks." Seventy-seven percent of the nurses chose to discuss with peers when resolving the ethical issues. Seventeen nurses who were interviewed described these forensic psychiatric nursing-related ethical distresses and conflicts: difficulty in discharge management, prevention of violence and self-harm, compulsory treatment, patient care, and negative emotions toward patient.ConclusionForensic psychiatric nurses in Japan face difficulties regarding respecting patients' rights. They strive to respect patients' rights by using their expertise as nurses while sharing their difficulties with colleagues. It is important to develop a support system for social reintegration to solve ethical issues.
| S-EPMC8389350 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The intensifying pace of research based on cross-cultural studies in the social sciences necessitates a discussion of the unique challenges of multi-sited research. Given an increasing demand for social scientists to expand their data collection beyond WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) populations, there is an urgent need for transdisciplinary conversations on the logistical, scientific and ethical considerations inherent to this type of scholarship. As a group of social scientists engaged in cross-cultural research in psychology and anthropology, we hope to guide prospective cross-cultural researchers through some of the complex scientific and ethical challenges involved in such work: (a) study site selection, (b) community involvement and (c) culturally appropriate research methods. We aim to shed light on some of the difficult ethical quandaries of this type of research. Our recommendation emphasizes a community-centred approach, in which the desires of the community regarding research approach and methodology, community involvement, results communication and distribution, and data sharing are held in the highest regard by the researchers. We argue that such considerations are central to scientific rigour and the foundation of the study of human behaviour.
| S-EPMC7542829 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionSchool-level student support programmes provide students with pastoral care and support for academic, wellbeing and other issues often via a personal tutor (PT). PT work is a balancing act between respecting the confidential information divulged by students and doing what is expected in terms of accountability and duty of care. We aimed to explore how tutors manage this tension, with the aim of advancing understanding of student support programmes.MethodsThis qualitative study was informed by an Institutional Ethnography approach. We conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with PTs from one medical school in Singapore. We considered how they worked in relation to relevant national and institutional-level policy documents and reporting guidelines. Data collection and analysis were iterative.ResultsWe crafted two composite accounts to illustrate the dilemmas faced by PTs. The first depicts a PT who supports student confidentiality in the same way as doctor-patient confidentiality. The second account is a PT who adopted a more mentoring approach. Both tutors faced confidentiality challenges, using different strategies to "work around" and balance tensions between accountability and maintaining trust. PTs were torn between school and student expectations.DiscussionFostering trust in the tutor-student relationship is a priority for tutors but tensions between confidentiality, accountability and governance sometimes make it difficult for tutors to reconcile with doing what they think is best for the student. A more nuanced understanding of the concept of confidentiality may help support PTs and ultimately students.
| S-EPMC10941695 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ethical dilemma (ED) of whether autonomous vehicles (AVs) should protect the passengers or pedestrians when harm is unavoidable has been widely researched and debated. Several behavioral scientists have sought public opinion on this issue, based on the premise that EDs are critical to resolve for AV adoption. However, many scholars and industry participants have downplayed the importance of these edge cases. Policy makers also advocate a focus on higher level ethical principles rather than on a specific solution to EDs. But conspicuously absent from this debate is the view of the consumers or potential adopters, who will be instrumental to the success of AVs. The current research investigated this issue both from a theoretical standpoint and through empirical research. The literature on innovation adoption and risk perception suggests that EDs will be heavily weighted by potential adopters of AVs. Two studies conducted with a broad sample of consumers verified this assertion. The results from these studies showed that people associated EDs with the highest risk and considered EDs as the most important issue to address as compared to the other technical, legal and ethical issues facing AVs. As such, EDs need to be addressed to ensure robustness in the design of AVs and to assure consumers of the safety of this promising technology. Some preliminary evidence is provided about interventions to resolve the social dilemma in EDs and about the ethical preferences of prospective early adopters of AVs.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10676-021-09605-y.
| S-EPMC8253245 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo determine the practices and knowledge of radiation safety measures among health care providers in tertiary institutions in Trinidad.Design & methodA cross-sectional survey of health care professionals within two public hospitals was conducted using a questionnaire distributed to individuals working in Cardiology, General Surgery, Internal medicine, Orthopaedics, Radiology and Urology who require the use of ionizing radiation machines. The questionnaire comprised of 30 questions divided into five subcategories including demographic data, usage of the ionizing radiation machines, basic knowledge, and attitude towards personal protective equipment as well as radiation exposure measurement. Questionnaire results were tabulated and analysed using Microsoft Excel and Stata v11 with comparative statistical analysis being done using the one-way analysis of variance test.ResultsA total of 118 health care professionals participated in this study. The majority (85/118 (72%)) of individuals revealed that they had no formal training regarding safe practices when working with ionizing radiation despite the daily use of the fluoroscopy machines by at least 25% of participants. Individuals who had formal training in the use of ionizing radiation were found to score significantly higher than those without training (p < 0.0001). Participants' knowledge regarding the proper positioning of the C-arm image intensifier to reduce radiation exposure was low with 46% of individuals providing a correct response.ConclusionsThe level of knowledge among the individuals who participate in the operation of ionizing radiation equipment throughout the country is low. The benefit of training in the use of the C-arm image intensifier is highlighted by the revelation that the individuals who had formal training in the use of these machines performed better than those individuals without training. Annual recertification courses should be implemented such that individuals are kept abreast with current changes and reminded of commonly neglected safety practices.
| S-EPMC6492361 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Newborn infants are among those most severely affected by humanitarian crises. Aid organisations increasingly recognise the necessity to provide for the medical needs of newborns, however, this may generate distinctive ethical questions for those providing humanitarian medical care. Medical ethical approaches to neonatal care familiar in other settings may not be appropriate given the diversity and volatility of humanitarian disasters, and the extreme resource limitations commonly faced by humanitarian aid missions. In this paper, we first systematically review existing guidelines relating to the treatment and resuscitation of newborns in humanitarian crises, finding little substantive ethical guidance for those providing humanitarian healthcare. We next draw on paradigm cases and published literature to identify and describe some of the major ethical questions common to these settings. We divide these questions into quality of life considerations, allocation of limited resources, and conflicting cultural norms and values. We finally suggest some preliminary recommendations to guide ethical decision-making around resuscitation of newborns and withdrawal of treatment in humanitarian settings.
| S-EPMC6916396 | biostudies-literature
Project description:For the past several years, the implementation of pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing has become widespread in several centers and clinical practice settings. PGx testing may be ordered at the point-of-care when treatment is needed or in advance of treatment for future use. The potential benefits of PGx testing are not limited to adult patients, as children are increasingly using medications more often and at earlier ages. This review provides some background on the use of PGx testing in children as well as mothers (prenatally and post-natally) and discusses the challenges, benefits, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of providing PGx testing to children.
| S-EPMC6800463 | biostudies-literature