For an Ethnomethodology of Healthcare Ethics

This paper considers the utility of Ethnomethodology (EM) for the study of healthcare ethics as part of the empirical turn in Bioethics. I give a brief introduction to EM through its respecification of sociology, the specific view on the social world this generates and EM's posture of ‘indifference’. I then take a number of EM concepts and articulate each in the context of an EM study of healthcare ethics in professional practice. Having given an overview of the relationship and perspective EM might bring to the professional practice of healthcare ethics I consider whether and how such an approach could be deployed. Whilst an ethnographic study might be problematic I suggest a number of alternative methods through which such EM research could be accomplished. I conclude with the suggestion that, as a particular approach to sociological research, EM offers good deal of potential for the empirical study of healthcare ethics in practice which could result in an improved reflexive understanding of professional ethical practices in bioethics.     

Self-Care,Healthcare Reform and Their Implications to Nursing

A move toward individual responsibility for health is gaining momentum in Canada. Whether or not individual responsibility for self-care practices is in the best interest of the public is debated in this article. The origins of the self-care movement in the Canadian healthcare system, its benefits and pitfalls, are explored. The role that the nursing profession can play is also discussed.