The concepts of disease, illness and sickness capture fundamentally different aspects of phenomena related to human ailments and healthcare. The philosophy and theory of medicine are making manifold efforts to capture the essence and normative implications of these concepts. In parallel, socio-empirical studies on patients’ understanding of their situation have yielded a comprehensive body of knowledge regarding subjective perspectives on health-related statuses. Although both scientific fields provide varied valuable insights, they have not been strongly linked to each other. Therefore, the (...) article aims to scrutinise the normative-ethical implications of patient perspectives in building a bridge to the empirical ethics debates. Three potential fields of tension between the illness and the disease perspective are presented. Consequently, findings from empirical research examining patient perspectives on illness are displayed and the practical implications and associated ethical issues which arise are discussed. This leads to the conclusion that an explicit and elaborate empirical-ethical methodology is needed to deal appropriately with the complex interaction between patients’ views and the medico-professional view of disease. Kon’s four-stage model of normative-empirical collaboration is then applied against the background of empirical data on patient perceptions. Starting from this exemplary approach, the article suggests employing empirical-ethical frameworks for further research on the conceptual and normative issues, as they help to integrate perspectives from the philosophy of medicine with socio-empirical research. The combination of theoretical and empirical perspectives suggested contributes to a more nuanced discussion of the normative impact of patients’ actual understanding of illness. Further empirical research in this area would profit from explicitly considering potential ethical issues to avoid naturalistic fallacies or crypto-normative conclusions that may compromise healthcare practice. Vice versa, medico-theoretical debates could be enriched by integrating subjective views of those people who are immediately affected. (shrink)

The decision-making environment in intensive care units (ICUs) is influenced by the transformation of intensive care medicine, the staffing situation and the increasing importance of patient autonomy. Normative implications of time in intensive care, which affect all three areas, have so far barely been considered. The study explores patterns of decision making concerning the continuation, withdrawal and withholding of therapies in intensive care. A triangulation of qualitative data collection methods was chosen. Data were collected through non-participant observation on a surgical (...) ICU at an academic medical centre followed by semi-structured interviews with nurses and physicians. The transcribed interviews and observation notes were coded and analysed using qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. Three themes related to time emerged regarding the escalation or de-escalation of therapies: influence of time on prognosis, time as a scarce resource and timing in regards to decision making. The study also reveals the ambivalence of time as a norm for decision making. The challenge of dealing with time-related efforts in ICU care results from the tension between the need to wait to optimise patient care, which must be balanced against the significant time pressure which is characteristic of the ICU setting. (shrink)

Die COVID-19 Pandemie stellt eine beträchtliche Herausforderung für die Kapazität und Funktionalität der Intensivversorgung dar. Dies betrifft nicht nur Ressourcen, sondern vor allem auch die körperlichen und psychischen Grenzen von Pflegefachpersonen. Der Frage, wie sich Fürsorge und Selbstsorge von Pflegefachpersonen auf Intensivstationen im Rahmen der COVID-19 Pandemie zueinander verhalten, wurde bislang im öffentlichen und wissenschaftlichen Diskurs keine Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt. Der vorliegende Beitrag reflektiert dieses Verhältnis mit Hilfe des Ethikkodex des International Council of Nurses, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Prinzipienethik und der (...) Care-Ethik nach Joan Tronto und zeigt einen Korridor ethisch vertretbarer Pflege auf.Die Arbeit leistet damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zu einer differenzierten ethischen Betrachtung der Rechte und Verantwortlichkeiten von Pflegefachpersonen als moralischen Akteuren innerhalb des Pandemiegeschehens in Deutschland. Damit schafft er eine erste Voraussetzung für einen breiten gesellschaftlichen und politischen Diskurs, der über die Pandemie hinaus dringend notwendig ist, um die Situation der Pflegefachpersonen und der Gepflegten nachhaltig zu verbessern. (shrink)

Interprofessionelles Lernen von Auszubildenden der Pflegeberufe sowie Medizinstudierenden bietet vielfältige Chancen für die zukünftige Zusammenarbeit mit dem Ziel einer qualitativ hochwertigen Versorgung von Patient*innen. Expert*innengremien fordern daher eine frühzeitige Integration von interprofessionellen Lehr- und Lernformaten, um effektive und nachhaltige Verbesserungen in der Praxis erreichen zu können. In Deutschland wird interprofessionelle Lehre in der grundständigen Ausbildung der zwei Professionen in wachsendem Umfang in ausgewählten Fächern – obligat oder fakultativ – eingesetzt. Der Bereich der Ethik im Gesundheitswesen wird dabei bislang jedoch kaum (...) berücksichtigt. Der Beitrag untersucht die Situation interprofessioneller Ethiklehre in Deutschland und beleuchtet deren Möglichkeiten und Grenzen vor dem Hintergrund eines Pilotprojektes. (shrink)

Definition of the problem Interprofessional learning of nursing trainees and medical students offers numerous opportunities for future cooperation aiming to provide high-quality care for patients. Arguments Expert panels, therefore, demand early integration of interprofessional teaching and learning structures in order to be able to achieve effective and sustainable improvements in practice. In Germany, interprofessional learning formats are increasingly used in undergraduate education of the two professions in selected—compulsory and optional—themes and courses. Conclusion So far, the field of health care ethics (...) has scarcely been taken into consideration. The article examines the situation of interprofessional ethics teaching in Germany and highlights its opportunities and limitations against the background of a pilot project. (shrink)

Volume 20, Issue 6, June 2020, Page 80-82.

Zusammenfassung Ausgehend von den Erfahrungswerten sechs Klinischer Ethiker*innen an Universitätsklinika in Deutschland wurde eine strukturierte Auseinandersetzung mit dem Arbeitsfeld der Fortbildungen im Rahmen der Klinischen Ethikarbeit vorgenommen. Die Zusammenarbeit wurde von der Fragestellung geleitet, was bei der Konzeption einer Ethik-Fortbildung innerhalb einer Einrichtung zu berücksichtigen ist. Der methodische Zugang zur Beantwortung der explorativen Fragestellung bestand in einem mehrstufigen, deskriptiven Verfahren, das alternierend in gemeinsamen Arbeitssitzungen und individueller Arbeit zwischen den Sitzungen umgesetzt wurde. Als Resultat zeigt der Aufsatz eine Übersicht über (...) die Bandbreite möglicher Fortbildungsformate auf, die denjenigen Hilfestellung bieten kann, die in ihrer Einrichtung Fortbildungen zu ethischen Themen konzipieren und durchführen wollen. Darüber hinaus bietet er einen Überblick über die bei der Umsetzung jeweils zu berücksichtigenden _direkt strukturierenden_ sowie _indirekt strukturierenden_ Merkmale. Es wird an Beispielen aufgezeigt, welche Formatvarianten sich in Kombination mit welchen direkt strukturierenden Merkmalen in den ausgewählten Universitätsklinika bewährt haben. Der Beitrag liefert eine Diskussionsgrundlage, um die strukturierte Auseinandersetzung mit konzeptionellen Fragen ethischer Fortbildung in der Klinik zu befördern. (shrink)

The glaring lack of formal and informal caregivers in Germany has not only become apparent in hospitals and nursing homes but also in home care arrangements. One tension is particularly pertinent in such arrangements: a ‘family-oriented’ logic of the long-term care insurance and the individual wishes of those in need of care meet the actual possibilities of family carers. This care gap has been compensated for by 24-hour care workers, so-called ‘live-ins’, from Eastern Europe for some years. This contribution maps (...) the ‘live-ins’ situation comprehensively from an ethical perspective. Based on different constellations regarding the ‘live-ins’ status as a professional nurse or non-professional caregiver, which ethical principles and moral norms are affected by whom and potentially conflict with each other in such home care arrangements at a micro and meso level of care are outlined. Special attention is paid to the tension between self-care and care for others, and to questions of the shared responsibility in and social responsibility of those external services that are involved in home care in addition to the ‘live-in’. In order to uncover, understand and influence the current ethical problems, an ethical framework that considers both the divergent interests of all individuals involved in the home care arrangement and their mutual dependency and vulnerability is needed. (shrink)

Background: Nosocomial infections represent a serious challenge for healthcare systems worldwide. Adherence to hand hygiene plays a major role in infection prevention and control. These adherence rates can be improved through behaviour tracking innovations. This requires the systems to be widely implemented and accepted. Therefore, both a systematic analysis of the normative issues related and the evaluation of technology acceptance are equally important. Objectives: To explore and describe relevant aspects regarding the acceptance of technology and ethical implications using a tracking (...) device to measure and improve adherence to hand hygiene. Research design: A quantitative study with a descriptive design was performed. Participants and research context: A total of 75 questionnaires were collected in three hospitals in Germany. Acceptance of technology was measured with n = 60 participants and ethical assessment with n = 15 participants. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the institutional review board. Findings: The acceptance of technologies improving hygiene in general was good. The experience with technologies in general and the acceptance of the specific technology ) was moderate. There was a significant positive correlation between the acceptance and experience of technology in general. Ethical concerns played a minor role. The need for practical support was a key topic. Discussion: Study participants accepted technologies improving hygiene; however, the specific device implemented was only moderately accepted. This creates specific opportunities in the implementation process for higher later acceptance. More practical support and an increase in experience may create opportunities for device implementation with high acceptance and low ethical concerns. Conclusion: Study results indicate a vast potential for improving the implementation process of hand hygiene technologies. Ethical concerns in this study did not seem to be a relevant barrier for successful implementation of hand hygiene technologies. (shrink)

Definition of the problem The COVID-19 pandemic poses a considerable challenge to the capacity and functionality of intensive care. This concerns not only resources but, above all, the physical and psychological boundaries of nursing professionals. The question of how care for others and self-care of nurses in intensive care units are related to each other in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has not been addressed in public and scientific discourse so far. Arguments The present contribution reflects this relationship with (...) reference to the Code of Ethics of the International Council of Nurses, particularly considering principlism and the Care Ethics according to Joan Tronto. As a result, it shows a corridor of ethically justifiable care with several borders, above all: self-care must not be given up completely for the benefit of care for others, and a categorical subordination of care for others to self-care is ethically not justifiable. Conclusion The article makes an important contribution to a differentiated ethical consideration of the rights and responsibilities of intensive care nurses as moral actors within the pandemic in Germany. It, thus, provides a first starting point for a broad social and political discourse which is urgently needed not only during but also after the pandemic in order to improve the situation of intensive care nurses and those who are cared for. (shrink)