Abstract
In this Chapter we provide some history behind the contemporary use of ethics language and tools in healthcare settings. We discuss the relationships among philosophical inquiry, moral theory, applied ethics, professional ethics, and ethical decision making frameworks and associated tools. This background context provides a foundation for understanding in which cases, for which purposes, and under which conditions philosophical inquiry, moral theories and principles help us promote individual and/or societal good. Discussed in turn are the historical development of medicine and healthcare professions, the nascent discipline of Bioethics, and? the relationships of philosophical inquiry and ‘language of ethics’ to healthcare goals. A nuanced discussion of moral principles and their application is provided. Finally, some practical decision-making frameworks and strategies are introduced. These are meant to be helpful to the point-of-care clinicians, nurse educators and leaders, and to others who provide services supportive of healthy work environments and good patient care.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adams, T. E. (2008). A review of narrative ethics. Qualitative Inquiry, 14(2), 175–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800407304417
Askitopoulou, H., & Vgontzas, A.N. (2018). The relevance of the Hippocratic Oath to the ethical and moral values of contemporary medicine. Part I: The Hippocratic Oath from antiquity to modern times. European Spine Journal, 27(7): 1481–1490.
Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2009). Principles of biomedical ethics (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University.
Blacksher, E. (2002). On being poor and feeling poor: Low socioeconomic status and the moral self. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics . https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021381616824
Charon, R., & Montello, M. (Eds.). (2002). Stories matter: The role of narrative in medical ethics. Taylor and Francis/Psychology Press.
Childress, A., Lee, S. W., Matsler, J. S., & Farroni, J. S. (2020). Clarifying and expanding the role of narrative in ethics consultation. Journal of Clinical Ethics, 31(3), 241–151.
Donaldson, S. K., & Crowley, D. M. (1978). The discipline of nursing. Nursing Outlook, 26(2), 113–120.
Faria M. A. (2015). Neolithic trepanation decoded—A unifying hypothesis: Has the mystery as to why primitive surgeons performed cranial surgery been solved? Surgical Neurology International, 6, 72. https://doi.org/10.4103/2152-7806.156634
Fleischacker, S. (2009). Kant’s Theory of Punishment. Kant–Studien, 79(1–4). https://doi.org/10.1515/kant.1988.79.1-4.434
Flexner, A. (2015). Is social work a profession? Proceedings of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, 581, 584–588, 590. Retrieved April 5, 2020 from: https://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/archive/FlexnerISWAP.htm
Gilligan, C. (2014). In a different voice: Women’s conceptions of self and morality. In Feminist Social Thought: A Reader (pp. 549–582). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203705841-42
Gilligan, C. (2011). Joining the resistance. Polity Press.
Godfrey-Smith, P. (2003). Theory and reality: An introduction to philosophy of science. IL: University of Chicago Press.
Grace, P. J. (2005). Ethical issues relevant to health promotion. In C. Edelman & C. L. Mandle (Eds.), Health promotion across the life span (6th ed) (pp. 100–125). Elsevier/Mosby.
Grace, P, J. (2018). Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice (3rd Ed.).
Grace, P. J. & Zumstein-Shaha, M. (2019). Using Ockham’s Razor to Redefine ‘Nursing Science’. Nursing Philosophy. https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12246https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12246
Greenstone, G. (2010). The history of bloodletting. British Columbia Medical Journal, 52(1), 12–14.
Hellegers, A. (1971). Bioethics center formed. Chemical and Engineering News (11 October): 7.
Holm, S., & Williams-Jones, B. (2006). Global bioethics — myth or reality? BMC Medical Ethics, 7, E10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6939-7-10
Jones, W. H. S. (2004). Introduction in T. E. Page (ed) Hippocrates: The Oath (vol 1), (pp. 291–297). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press - Loeb Classical Library, vol 1.
Jonsen, A. R. (1998). The birth of bioethics. Oxford University Press.
Jonsen, A. R., Siegler, M., & Winslade, W. J. (2015). Clinical ethics: A practical approach to ethical decisions in clinical medicine (8th ed.) McGraw-Hill.
Kant, I. (1967). Foundations of the metaphysics of morals. In A. I. Melden (Ed), Ethical theories : A book of reading (pp. 317–366). Prentice-Hall (Original work published 1785).
Keiner, E. (2002). Education between academic discipline and profession in Germany after World War II. European Educational Research Journal, 1(1), 83–98.
Kepler, M. O. (1981). Medical stewardship: Fulfilling the Hippocratic legacy. Greenwood.
Kohlberg, (1981). Essays on moral development, Vol. I: The philosophy of moral developmentHarper & Row. ISBN 978–0–06–064760–5.
Kopelman, L. M. (2009). Bioethics as public discourse and second-order discipline. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 34(3), 261–273.
Kuhse, H., & Singer, P. (2006). Bioethics an anthology (2nd ed.). Blackwell.
Lange, M. (1999). Why are the laws of nature so important to science? Philosophy and Phenomenologic Research, LIX(3), 625–652.
McCullough, L. B. (1998) John Gregory and the invention of professional medical ethics and the profession of medicine. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Mill, J. S. (1967). Mill’s ethical writings. (Edited with an introduction by J. B. Schneewind.) Macmillan. (Original work published in 1861).
Moreno, J. D. (2015). How national security gave birth to bioethics. The Conversation, June 8. Accessed April 10, 2020 from: https://theconversation.com/how-national-security-gave-birth-to-bioethics-40528
Nagel, T. (1987). What does it all mean. Oxford University Press.
Pellegrino, E. D., & Thomasma, D. C. (2004). The good of patients and the good of society: Striking a moral balance. In Boylan, M. (Ed.), Public health policy and ethics (pp. 17–37). Springer.
Powers, M., & Faden, R. (2006). Social justice: The moral foundations of public health and health policy. Oxford University Press.
President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1982). Making health care decisions (33. PB83236703). U.S. Government Printing Office.
Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Harvard University Press.
Reich, W. T. (1994). The word “bioethics”: Its birth and the legacies of those who shaped it. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 4(4), 319–335. https://doi.org/10.1353/ken.0.0126
Reich, W. T. (1995). The word “bioethics”: The struggle over its earliest meanings. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 5(1), 19–34.https://doi.org/10.1353/ken.0.0143
Scher, S., & Kozlowska, K. (2018). The rise of Bioethics: A historical overview. In Rethinking Health Care Ethics (pp 31–44). Palgrave Pivot. Published online March 3, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0830-7_3
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2014). The history of utilitarianism. Accessed April 13, 2020 from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/
Tai, M. C. T. (2013). Western or Eastern principles in globalized bioethics? An Asian perspective view. Tzu Chi Medical Journal, 25(1), 64–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcmj.2012.05.004
The Belmont Report (1979). National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/
Truog, R. D., Mitchell, C., & Daley, G. Q. (March 23, 2020). The toughest triage: Allocating ventilators in a pandemic. New England Journal of Medicine . https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2005689
Varden, H. (2017). Kant and women. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 98(4), 653–694.
Whitehouse, P. J. (2003). The rebirth of bioethics: Extending the original formulations of Van Rensselaer—Potter. American Journal of Bioethics, 3(4), W26–W31. https://doi.org/10.1162/152651603322614751
WHO. (2019). Accessed April 3, 2020 from: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
WMA. (2020). International Code of Medical Ethics. Accessed 4/5/20: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-international-code-of-medical-ethics/
Windt, P. Y. (1989). Introductory essay. In P. Y. Windt, P. C. Appleby, M. P. Battin, L. P. Francis & P. M. Landesman (Eds.), Ethical issues in the professions (pp. 1–24). Prentice Hall.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Grace, P.J., Milliken, A. (2022). The History, Language and Tools of Ethics: Application in Healthcare Settings. In: Grace, P., Milliken, A. (eds) Clinical Ethics Handbook for Nurses. The International Library of Bioethics, vol 93. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-2155-2_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-2155-2_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-2153-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-024-2155-2
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)