For most any issue, professional ethicists have thought about and published quality ideas. Rather than trying to solve an ethics bowl case from scratch, why not leverage existing wisdom? There’s no reason to defer to or agree with every argument out there. But your team’s analysis will almost certainly be enhanced, and judges will almost certainly be impressed, when they review and cite the arguments of contemporary philosophers. But where to begin?
Recently, former student, friend and medical resident, Jim Dolbow, invited me to comment on and co-publish a brief piece on patient modesty during emergency procedures. The main thrust: patients should either be told that they’ll be exposed during “code” treatments, or medical professionals should do more to cover their private areas during CPR, pulse checks and the like. Why? To honor patient consent and respect their dignity.
Less than two pages long, “If They Only Knew” was just released in the Journal of Patient Experience. An easy way to ease into the use of applied ethics journal articles, check it out here, and if you or your team would like to discuss, just let me know.