Ethics education and value prioritization among members of U.S. hospital ethics committees

Calls for ethics education for members of hospital ethics committees presume that the effects and benefits of such education are well-established. This is not the case. A review of the literature reveals that studies consistently have failed to uncover any significant effect of ethics education on the moral reasoning, moral competency, and/or moral development of medical professionals. The present paper discuss this negative result and describes the author's national study of the value priorities of members of hospital ethics committees. This study discovered correlations between moral decision making and factors like age and type of institution where the committee operates. The results of this study also resemble those of previous studies in finding no correlation between ethics education and moral decision making. The author concludes that there is a need for more research on the effects of nonmoral personal, societal, and institutional factors on the moral reasoning of members of hospital ethics committees. Further, in the absence of any firm empirical basis, calls for ethics education for medical professionals and ethics committee members should be rethought.     

Some guidelines for school consultants

School consultation and its purposes are defined, the expansion of the school psychologist's traditional diagnostic role is explored; and some guidelines from research and theory which will assist the school psychologist to maximize the effect of consultative efforts are presented.     

Virtue Ethics and Confucian Ethics

This essay focuses on the unity of several virtues in pre-Qin Confucians. Confucius maintains the proper application and coherence of such virtues as benevolence, wisdom, trustworthiness, straightforwardness, courage, and firmness. Further, Confucius takes benevolence and nobility as characteristic of human being. Particular attention is paid to the distinction and relationship between virtuous characters and virtuous actions.     

Feminist Ethics and Religious Ethics

This focus issue is a conversation at and about the interface of feminist ethics and religious ethics, in order to show what these multifaceted fields of intellectual endeavor and practical import have to say to each other, to teach and to learn. The seven essays approach that dialogue from a variety of angles and traditions, reflecting the fecundity of both fields and the wide‐ranging concerns of colleagues in religious ethics who share commitments and methods with feminist ethics.     

语言伦理与媒体伦理

语言与媒体的联系表明语言伦理与媒体伦理具有内在联系;语言与媒体的差异表明语言伦理与媒体伦理之间又存在着巨大区别,从而使得前者构成了自然语言的伦理问题,后者构成了媒体语言的伦理问题。不要说谎(即说真话)既是自然语言伦理也是媒体语言伦理的基本要求,但是,由于媒体语言与自然语言的不对称,以及媒体语言已经成为公共领域的主导语言,所以,媒体语言之不要说谎的重要性远非自然语言不要说谎的重要性所能比拟。应用伦理学应该通过政府主管部门、媒体自律协会和全体社会公众三条监督途径,来解决媒体伦理问题,确保媒体遵循不要说谎的基本道德要求。其中,利用现代网络技术把自然语言提升为媒体语言,完善全体社会公众的监督途径尤为重要。     

Legal briefing: Healthcare ethics committees

This issue's "Legal Briefing" column covers recent legal developments involving institutional healthcare ethics committees. This topic has been the subject of recent articles in JCE. Healthcare ethics committees have also recently been the subject of significant public policy attention. Disturbingly, Bobby Schindler and others have described ethics committees as "death panels." But most of the recent attention has been positive. Over the past several months, legislatures and courts have expanded the use of ethics committees and clarified their roles concerning both end-of-life treatment and other issues. These developments are usefully grouped into the following eight categories: 1. Existence and availability. 2. Membership and composition. 3. Operating procedures. 4. Advisory roles. 5. Decision-making and gate-keeping roles. 6. Confidentiality. 7. Immunity. 8. Litigation and court cases.     

Between Christian Ethics and Religious Ethics

By focusing on questions concerning what kind of training graduate students in theology and ethics and religious ethics should receive, I try to initiate a conversation we need to have about the kind of work the JRE should foster.     

A national study of ethics committees

Conceived as a solution to clinical dilemmas, and now required by organizations for hospital accreditation, ethics committees have been subject only to small-scale studies. The wide use of ethics committees and the diverse roles they have played compel study. In 1999 the University of Pennsylvania Ethics Committee Research Group (ECRG) completed the first national survey of the presence, composition, and activities of U.S. healthcare ethics committees (HECs). Ethics committees are relatively young, on average seven years in operation. Eighty-six percent of ethics committees report that they played a role in ongoing clinical decision making through clinical ethics consultation. All are engaged in developing institutional clinical policy. Although 4.5% of HECs write policy on managed care, 50% of HEC chairs feel inadequately prepared to address managed care. The power and activity of ethics committees parallels the composition of those committees and the relationship of members to their institutions. The role of ethics committees across the nation in making policies about clinical care is greater than was known, and ethics committees will likely continue to play an important role in the debate and resolution of clinical cases and clinical policies.     

Characteristics of consultants and consultees and success in mental health consultation

Selected attitudinal and value characteristics of high and low successful consultants were considered. Twelve consultants and 15 consultees completed six measures. Consultants were categorized as high or low success consultants based on the coding of consultants' logs. Results indicate high and low success consultants do not differ on the selected characteristics. Also, the results indicate that more successful consultants have consultees who are more authoritarian and dogmatic and are more dissimilar to their consultees in level of dogmatism and reported need for assistance. Future investigations will indicate whether the results can be replicated on a more representative consultee sample.