Develop a plan of action utilizing the list of acceptable alternatives. Determine what you are going to do about this dilemma.

Develop a plan of action utilizing the list of acceptable alternatives. Determine what you are going to do about this dilemma.

Just as nursing applies a systematic process for evaluating the condition of a given population to determine an appropriate intervention, health care providers must also utilize a systematic process to assess the nature of an ethical dilemma to determine a reasonable solution.

Ethical decisions are reasoned choices based on:

The dilemma itself.
The principles in conflict.
The people involved.
The outcome of the proposed action.
The ethical reasoning process selected.
Ethical Decision Making

It is helpful to use a decision-making model for ethical dilemmas in order to guide one’s decision making from an objective, cognitive perspective, rather than a purely affective or emotional perspective. Uustal (1993) proposed the following steps to guide one’s ethical decision making. Uustal’s model not only follows the nursing process, but also includes values clarification when applying an ethical decision-making model.

Step 1: Identify the problem. Ask:

Who are people involved in the dilemma?
How are they related or interrelated?
What is involved in the situation?
After answering the above questions, identify the ethical dilemma and make a concise statement of the problem. Then, state the conflict in values.

Step 2: State your values and ethical position related to the problem.

How does the issue fit with your personal values?
Are they congruent or incongruent?
Step 3: Take into consideration factors that relate to the situation and generate alternatives for resolving the dilemma.

Step 4: Examine and categorize the alternatives. Identify those that are consistent and inconsistent with your personal values.

If the most appropriate alternative is inconsistent with your personal values, another provider may be needed to facilitate resolution. This eliminates bias and preserves your own ethical integrity.

Step 5: Predict all possible outcomes for those acceptable alternatives.

Consider physical, psychological, social, and spiritual consequences, both short-term and long-term.

What might happen if you follow Alternative A?
What might happen if you follow Alternative B?
Step 6: Prioritize acceptable alternatives. List them in order from the most acceptable to the least acceptable.

Step 7: Develop a plan of action utilizing the list of acceptable alternatives. Determine what you are going to do about this dilemma.

Step 8: Implement the plan.

Step 9: Evaluate the action taken. Ask yourself the following questions:

Did I do the right thing?
Were my actions ethical?
Characteristics of Ethical Dilemmas

Following is a review of the characteristics of ethical dilemmas:

The choice is between equally undesirablealternatives.
Real choice existsbetween possible courses of action.
The people involved in the dilemma place a significantly different value judgmenton possible actions or on the consequences of actions. That is why there is a conflict. If everyone involved agreed, there would be no ethical dilemma.
Data alonewill not help resolve the dilemma. One always wants more data, but it is not available.
Answersto the ethical dilemma come from a variety of disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, theology).
Actions taken in an ethical dilemma will result in unfavorable outcomesand/or constitute a breach of one’s duty to another person. Although the action taken may meet the needs of one person or party, it may result at the expense of another.
The choices made in an ethical dilemma have far-reaching effectson our perception of human beings and definition of personhood, our relationships, and people in society as a whole.
Any ethical decision involves the allocation and expenditure of resources which are finite.If there were an infinite amount of resources to share with everyone in need, there would be no dilemma in deciding who gets the scarce resource.
Ethical dilemmas are not solvable,but rather resolvable. A solution would mean that the problem is fixed. A resolution means that a decision has been made to determine a course of action in the situation.
When one is faced with an ethical dilemma, there are specific ethical questions to address:

What ought to be done in this case?
Who should be involved in the decision making process?
Who has the right to make the final decision? Why?
For whom should the decision be made: for oneself, someone for whom you are acting as a proxy, or others?
What criteria should be used in a dilemma? Psychological condition only? Physiological status, economic concerns, legal factors, social and family perspectives, or spiritual considerations?
What degree of consent should be obtained from the client?
What harm or benefits will result from the decision and resulting actions?
Does the ability to intervene justify the intent to do so? Just because it is possible, does it make it right?