Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013 - (Page 34)
frameworks that can be applied across
business, clinical care, quality, safety, and
service domains. More often, these leaders
receive training only in compliance and
business ethics; issues related to bioethics, for example, are absent from their
training.
Ethics Training and the Moral Compass
We see this trend in the nursing profession. a study by grady and colleagues
(2008) found that just 57 percent of
nurses reported having
Recognizing the difference any level of ethics education in their professional
between morals and
programs. considering
ethics can help executives that nurse leaders represent the largest portion of
understand how moral
all leaders in healthcare,
characteristics of
a clear gap exists between
individuals play out in the the ideal state, in which
social context of ethical moral and ethical leaders are able to draw on a
codes and systems.
knowledge base of ethics
training in their practice, and the current
state of practice.
Jameton’s (1984) seminal work frames
the concept of moral distress as arising
when one knows the morally right thing
to do but cannot act on that knowledge
because of organizational constraints.
according to Jameton, moral issues are
defined not by the scientific how-to but
by the question of ought-to. for example,
deciding how to provide care is different
than deciding for whom the care should
be provided.
Jameton (1984) further notes that
nurses act as the moral center of healthcare and provide the image and inspiration of ethical care and compassion.
corley (2002) found that nurses act as
moral agents in the healthcare system,
and as a result, patients, nurses, and the
organizations in which they work all benefit. these moral acts lay the foundation
for increasing nurse retention, promoting
patient comfort, relieving patient suffering, and enhancing the reputation of the
organization (edmonson 2010).
can healthcare leaders who act in a
morally courageous manner in difficult
situations similarly affect these stakeholders? i hope and believe so.
Is Your Organization a
Highly Reliable Moral
Organization?
Many hospitals and health systems seek
to become high-reliability organizations
(Hros), in which what should happen
does happen, and what should not happen
does not. on this journey to becoming an
Hro, a true and honest evaluation of the
moral philosophy of leaders must be undertaken. to do the right thing and make
what should happen consistently happen
every time as guided by our moral compass, we must pay attention to the moral
characteristics of the leaders and the ethical foundation of the organization. leaders
should ask themselves what measures are
in place to know if both are present and
performing to an acceptable level. can
an organization be an Hro if no moral
leadership is present to anchor the culture
in doing the right thing?
Several concepts related to just cultures—equity, ethics, justice, fairness, and
professionalism—were briefly mentioned
by both feature authors. Just-culture models work to remove fear of reporting errors
and to create an organization capable of
true learning through past experience.
to develop a just culture, the entire organization must integrate the elements of
an Hro; the SteeeP model (or another
similar approach); and the organization’s
34 • f ro ntier s o f h ea lt h s e r vic e s ma na g e m e nt 30 :1
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013
Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013
Contents
Editorial
The Case for Values as a Basis for Organizational Culture
A Moral Compass for Management Decision Making: A Healthcare CEO’s Reflections
Ethics, Values, and Decision Making
Wanted: Morally Courageous Leaders
The Imperative of a Moral Compass–Driven Healthcare Organization
Frontiers of Health Services Management - Fall 2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_drmtest
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2016winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2016summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2015winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2014winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2013winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2013fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2013summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ache/fhsm_2013spring
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com