Assessment 03 – Applying Ethical Principles For this assessment, you will develop a solution to a specific ethical dilemma faced by a health care professional.
Case Study: Confidentiality and Mental Health Dr. Laura Simmons, a licensed clinical psychologist, has been treating Mr. Alex Turner, a 35-year-old software engineer, for symptoms of severe depression and anxiety over the past sixmonths. Their sessions have been characterized by trust and open communication, with Alex often sharing his deepest fears and concerns. During a particularly intense session, Alex reveals to Dr. Simmons that he has been havingrecurring thoughts of harming a colleague due to a longstanding professional rivalry and recent personal conflicts. He describes detailed plans and expresses a genuine intent to act on these thoughts. Dr. Simmons is immediately faced with an ethical dilemma. She values the principle of confidentiality, which is foundational to the therapeutic relationship. Alex has trusted her with his innermost thoughts, and she knows that breaking this trust could potentially harm their therapeutic alliance. However, she is also bound by the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Beneficence compels her to act in the best interest of her patient and those around him, while non-maleficence emphasizes the importance of “doing no harm.”
1. Summarize the facts in the selected case study and use the three components of an ethical decision-making model to analyze an ethical problem or issue and the factors that contributed to it.
· Identify which case study you selected and briefly summarize the facts surrounding it. Identify the problem or issue that presents an ethical dilemma or challenge and describe that dilemma or challenge.
· Identify who is involved or affected by the ethical problem or issue.
· Access the Ethical Decision-Making Model ( see below ) media piece and use the three components of the ethical decision-making model (moral awareness, moral judgment, and ethical behavior) to analyze the ethical issues.
· Apply the three components outlined in the Ethical Decision-Making Model media.
· Analyze the factors that contributed to the ethical problem or issue identified in the case study.
· Describe the factors that contributed to the problem or issue and explain how they contributed.
Apply academic peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to an ethical problem or issue as evidence to support an analysis of the case. You will select at least one current scholarly or academic peer-reviewed journal articles published during the past 3–5 years that relate to your topic.
· Cite and apply key principles from the journal article as evidence to support your critical thinking and analysis of the ethical problem or issue.
· Discuss the effectiveness of the communication approaches present in a case study.
· Describe how the health care professional in the case study communicated with others.
· Assess instances where the professional communicated effectively or ineffectively.
· Explain which communication approaches should be used and which ones should be avoided.
· Describe the consequences of using effective and non-effective communication approaches.
· Discuss the effectiveness of the approach used by a professional to deal with problems or issues involving ethical practice in a case study.
· Describe the actions taken in response to the ethical dilemma or issue presented in the case study.
· Summarize how well the professional managed professional responsibilities and priorities to resolve the problem or issue in the case.
· Discuss the key lessons this case provides for health care professionals.
· Apply ethical principles to a possible solution to an ethical problem or issue described in a case study.
· Describe the proposed solution.
· Discuss how the approach makes this professional more effective or less effective in building relationships across disciplines within his or her organization.
· Discuss how likely it is the proposed solution will foster professional collaboration.
· Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
· Apply the principles of effective composition.
· Determine the proper application of the rules of grammar and mechanics.
· Write using APA style for in-text citations, quotes, and references.
· Determine the proper application of APA formatting requirements and scholarly writing standards.
· Integrate information from outside sources into academic writing by appropriately quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, following APA style.
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· Length: 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page and reference page.
· Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
· APA tutorial: Use the APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] for guidance.
Ethical decision-making at an individual level and one’s ethical behavior can be viewed in three primary steps using an ethical decision-making model.
First is one’s moral awareness, recognizing the existence of an ethical dilemma. This is the pathway to establishing the need for an ethical decision. This awareness is an individual sensitivity to one’s values and personal morals.
Once a personal awareness is evident, we can make a judgment in deciding what is right or wrong. This sounds simple, yet there are a number of variables driving this personal judgment. One variable is the individual differences and cognitive bias we all have based on our personal history and experiences. A second variable is the organization. This variable may be influenced from a group, organizational or cultural perspective. A code of conduct or standards of behavior may also influence our judgment.
This model, operating in a dynamic fashion, leads us to our ethical behavior; taking action to do the right thing. Is the right thing the same decision for everyone? Obviously not. We are all influenced my multiple factors in our decision-making.
This decision-making model can help us understand the pathway to our ethical decisions.