You will be asked to watch one episode of a medical television show, such as House, Grey’s Anatomy, or ER. They will identify the values portrayed by the main characters in the book or show, identify which type of ethical theory the characters display, analyze how the characters behave in relation to these values, the impact on the patient, what aspect of ethical problems were displayed, and the ethical decision-making process used by the characters.

The decision-making process 1-9

1.Clearly define the issue:

•  Identifying and clarifying the problem presented

•  Examining what values are in conflict.

2. Determine the facts of the situation:

•  This can be accomplished by gathering data

•  Data gathering can occur by speaking with other people who may have information about the situation or by reviewing relevant records

3. Determine who the stakeholders are, the value at stake, and the obligations and interest of each stakeholder.

•  Is the decision maker the victim of the problem?

•  Are there more parties involved?

•  Should the relationship between stakeholder be explored to avoid potential biases?

4.Determine what options are available and evaluate them.

•  Examined options thoroughly for both short-term and long-term outcomes and their impact upon everyone involved.

•  Each option can be compared against an ethical theory for guidance in decision making.

•  By linking an ethical theory with each option, the decision maker clarifies the basis supporting each one.

5. Decide what should be done.

 After weighing each options, the decision maker must reach a decision and act upon it.

6.Justify the decision made by identifying reasons that support the decision

7. Implement decision

8. Evaluate the outcome of the decision

    Compare the actual outcome against the predicted outcome

    If the actual outcome is unforeseen, the decision maker can evaluate what she may have missed in the data-gathering or option-generation stages.

9. Examine how to prevent the issue from recurring

Is there any further action can prevent the ethical problem from recurring?