How to Determine the Ethical Principles

The chair of the hospital’s Ethics Committee has asked you to develop a policy for performing a transplant on a patient with little hope of survival. As a first step, she has asked you to frame the ethical dilemma, by determining which ethical principles apply to each problem the committee is considering.

This step-by-step guide will help you complete your work.

1. Review the email from the Ethics Committee chair. You may want to print the email and highlight the important points.


2. Download the Relevant Ethical Principles template for this task. Notice that Dr. Jones has once again pre-populated the table with the problems of the case she would like you to consider.


3. Determine the ethical principles that apply to each problem.
   1. Review Ethical Principles for Consideration. Note this is the same document you used in the first Ethics task. If you need to download it again, Dr. Jones attached it to her email.
   
   
   2. Review each problem listed on the template. As you think about each problem review the list of ethical principles and ask yourself, “Is this principle relevant to this problem?” As you did in Ethics 1.1, you should also consider which people in the case may be affected and how the principle applies to them.
   
   
   3. Record your ideas in the “Ethical Principles” column of your template. Don't forget, in your answer you should name the principle and explain how you believe it applies to the problem.
   
   
4. Check your work. Before submitting your assignment, take a moment to review your work.
   1. Do you understand the set of issues the committee is facing in this case?
   
   
   2. Did you consider and then document if and how each problem/issue in your template relates to each of the following ethical principles:
      1. Respect, including autonomy, fidelity, confidentiality, truth and honesty?
      
      
      2. Beneficence?
      
      
      3. Nonmaleficence?
      
      
      4. Justice?
      
      
   3. Did your team create one document that represents the ideas and effort of each team member?
   
   
5. Review the Checklist on the Submit Your Work tab of this task and submit the assignment to your mentor.