How physiotherapists perceive,interpret, and respond to the ethical dimensions of practice: A qualitative study

The profile and reach of physiotherapy has expanded in areas of extended scope of practice, and broader engagement with population needs beyond the individual treatment encounter. These changes raise increasingly complex ethical challenges evidenced by growth in physiotherapy-based ethics studies and discussions. This paper examines how a broad cross section of Australian physiotherapists perceive, interpret, and respond to ethical challenges in their work contexts and how professional codes of conduct are used in their practice. Using an interpretive qualitative methodology, purposive sampling of 88 members of national clinical special interest groups were recruited for focus group discussions. Narrative-based and thematic data analysis identified ethical challenges as emerging from specific clinical contexts, and influenced by health organizations, funding policies, workplace relationships, and individually held perspectives. Five themes were developed to represent these findings: (1) the working environment, (2) balancing diverse needs and expectation, (3) defining ethics, (4) striving to act ethically, and (5) talking about ethics. The results portray a diverse and complex ethical landscape where therapists encounter and grapple with ethical questions emerging from the impact of funding models and policies affecting clinical work, expanding boundaries and scope of practice and changing professional roles and relationships. Codes of conduct were described as foundational ethical knowledge but not always helpful for “in the moment” ethical decision-making. Based on this research, we suggest how codes of conduct, educators, and professional associations could cultivate and nurture ethics capability in physiotherapy practitioners for these contemporary challenges.     

Intelligent dialogue based on statistical models of clinical decision-making

The independence Bayesian model has been used widely in computer programs designed to support clinical decision-making. A reasoning strategy has been developed to enable these programs to conduct clinically pertinent dialogue and explain their reasoning. It has been implemented in a program for the diagnosis of acute abdominal pain based on the Bayesian model of de Dombal et al. Several features of the dialogue design have been adopted from artificial intelligence research, including shared initiative and critiquing. The program adopts a flexible goal-driven strategy, attempting to confirm the clinician's diagnosis or rule out the likeliest alternative. Symptoms and signs are selected in order of their expected weights of evidence in favour of the hypothesized disease.     

Ethical Reasoning Among Registered Nurses Experienced in Dementia Care

Abstract. Registered nurses regarded as “experienced and good” in dementia care were interviewed about the feeding of a severely demented patient who showed refusal-like feeding behaviour. Not one of the twenty nurses could see herself using force against her patients. Most interviewees justified their decisions to feed a severely demented patient and answered questions about whether they would change their minds if there were certain circumstances in terms of words that could be interpreted as referring to the ethical principle of beneficence. The nurses stressed the difficulty to understand the meaning of severely demented patients' feeding behaviour and decide when force-feeding occurs. When asked to rank ethical principles of importance for the decision, however, the most common answer was that they would give priority to the ethical principle of autonomy. The nurses did not see the ethical principles as separate entities, that could be applied one by one, but tried to integrate them into a whole. The findings of this study were interpreted as indicating that principled ethics is not an adequate model to describe experienced nurses' ethical reasoning.     

An adjusted version of Kohlberg's moral theory: discussion of its validity for research in nursing ethics

Critics of Kohlberg's moral theory today focus on the content of his theory and more specifically on its justice-orientated moral concept. This has led to the well-known 'justice-care debate'. The purpose of this article is to critically examine the validity of Kohlberg's moral theory for research in nursing ethics from a caring perspective (referring to the content) as well as from a cognitive-structural perspective (referring to the basic assumptions of the model). The analysis points to the usefulness and value of the cognitive-structural model to empirically study nurses' ethical behaviour; the content of Kohlberg's model, however, needs to be adapted by adding a caring perspective as well as some personal and situational variables. An adjusted version of Kohlberg's model is proposed and discussed.     

Moral reasoning as a catalyst for cultural competence and culturally responsive care

The importance of developing cultural competence among healthcare professionals is well recognized. However, the widespread reports of insensitivity and deficiencies in care for culturally diverse patients illuminate the need to review how cultural competence development is taught, learnt and applied in practice. Unless we can alter the ‘hearts and minds’ of practising nurses to provide the care that they know they should, culturally insensitive care will continue operating in subtle ways. This paper explores the ideas behind nurses’ actions and omissions when caring for culturally diverse patients and proposes the need to examine cultural competence development through a moral reasoning lens. Examining cultural competence development through a moral reasoning lens can help empower nurses, whilst nurturing commitment and courage to providing quality care that meets the needs of culturally diverse patients. The model of morality provides a framework that explores how moral motivation and behaviour occur and can provide a vehicle for critically examining the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide culturally responsive care.     

An Inter- and Intra-University Comparison With Short Case-Based Testing

Comparisons between PBL and non-PBL medical schools on problem-solving ability often show no differences. This could be either due to the fact that no difference in problem-solving skills exists or that the instruments used are inadequate. In this study a key-feature approach case-based examination was used to compare two medical schools in the Netherlands, one of which has a PBL curriculum (Maastricht) and one which has a program half way a transition from a non-PBL towards a PBL curriculum (Groningen). Differences were found both in proficiency scores and in the pattern of response times, both supporting the assumption that a PBL approach would lead to a higher level of problem solving ability. The effect size, however, is not as large as originally assumed by the PBL proponents. Conclusions must be drawn with caution, but it seems likely that a test based on large numbers of short cases is the most sensitive in detecting differences in problem solving ability between students of different curricula. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

互联网联合PBL及CBL教学法在器官移植教学中的应用

目的探讨借助互联网优势将PBL和CBL结合的教学模式在器官移植本科教学中的运用价值。方法将48名同等学历临床实习学生随机分为试验组和对照组(每组24名),试验组借助互联网平台结合PBL,CBL的教学模式相教学,对照组采用LBL教学模式教学;教学以闭卷考试,操作考核,问卷调查等形式进行教学效果评价。结果试验组同学的理论考试和技能操作考核结果均优于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P <0.05),教师对学员总体评价试验组高于对照组且试验组同学认为此种教学方法更加利于各学科知识衔接,知识拓展和综合素质提高。结论借助互联网优势将PBL和CBL结合的教学模式可以提高学生专业成绩和专业技能,同时也能拓展学生知识,提高学生综合素质,适用于器官移植科的本科教学。     

基于对分课堂的护理本科安宁疗护教学改进

目的探讨护理本科安宁疗护教学内容与方法改进的效果。方法选取四年制护理本科生为研究对象,以2014级32人为对照组、2015级32人为观察组。对照组采取先讲授理论后实践的常规教学方法;观察组对分课堂,将理论教学内容整合为四大主题,案例教学贯穿其中。结果两组学生安宁疗护理论考试成绩比较,差异无统计学意义(P0.05);标准化病人考试成绩及教学满意度观察组显著高于对照组(P0.05,P0.01)。结论基于对分课堂的安宁疗护教学改进利于学生知识与技能的掌握,学生对教学满意度较高。