Discussion: Ethical Decision-Making Model

Discussion: Ethical Decision-Making Model

1/3: LASA: Working Ahead

Ethical decision-making model: In this assignment, you will be able to identify and comprehend the steps in Bush et alproposed .’s (ethical) decision-making model (2006). You will also be able to discuss the proposed model’s strengths and weaknesses.

Tasks for Ethical decision-making model:

Write a 3- to 4-page paper, including the following points:

* A summary of the eight steps in the model proposed by Bush et al. (2006).

* A critical analysis of the decision-making model (i.e., analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the model in ethical decision making).

Ethical Decision-Making Models
In the face of ethical challenges, ethical decision-making models provide a framework for critical thinking and planning. A tool that health-care personnel can use to increase their capacity to think through ethical challenges and make ethical decisions is an ethical decision-making model. There are a range of models in the ethical literature, the majority of which are similar in design and substance. The goal of each model is to provide a framework for making the best option in a given situation presented by a health care provider. The majority of these models use Beauchamp and Childress’ principle-based reasoning process. 7 These models take ethical principles, obligations, and values into account. They encourage dentists to use resources such as published evidence, clinical data, and peer consultation. Whether in a single private practice, a large clinical setting, or a dental advocacy group, some of these models contain four, five, or seven phases for resolving challenges, but they all stimulate critical reasoning through the structure of a decision model.

The model proposed in this module is a six-step strategy developed from decision-making literature as interpreted by Atchison and Beemsterboer and used with dental and dental hygiene students in a combined ethics course since the early 1990s. It’s a well-thought-out strategy founded on theory and philosophy. 8 The model is depicted as a circle to stress the impact of previous knowledge and experiences on current and future decision-making (Figure 1).

Figure 1 shows how past information and experiences can be applied to current and future decision-making.
The decision-making process is fluid, changing as new information becomes available. Dentists and dental hygienists are faced with a plethora of questions to ponder, all of which need them to weigh the code of ethics as well as their personal principles and views before making a decision. When a practitioner is faced with a clinical or scientific challenge, the evaluation process is similar to that which occurs when they are faced with an ethical dilemma. The health care practitioner will be able to make an appropriate decision by paying close attention to and doing a systematic study of the evidence, facts, and details. The decision-making model provides a tool that can be used throughout one’s career.

Model for Making Decisions in Six Steps

Determine the ethical dilemma or issue. Stage 1 is the most important step in the process since it is necessary to be aware of an issue in order to progress through the steps. Many circumstances are simply not considered ethical issues or problems. Once the problem has been identified, the decision maker must explain the ethical dilemma clearly and simply, taking into account all relevant components of the situation. If the ethical question does not include a conflict of values, it is just a matter of right and wrong, and no ethical decision-making process is required. If you’ve already decided if something is right or wrong, you can go to step 2.
Gather information. To make an informed decision, the decision maker must gather information. This could be accurate information on how the scenario unfolded, and it could come from multiple sources. It’s necessary to know about the values of all parties involved, including the health-care provider’s.
Specify your choices. Following the collection of the relevant data, the third step is brainstorming to identify as many alternatives or possibilities as feasible. The best option isn’t always the first one that comes to mind. There is also a propensity to believe that a question has just one answer. This stage forces us to take a step back and look at the situation from all sides in order to see what other people could see as possible solutions to the problem. It takes an enlightened and open mind to see that there are often multiple solutions to a problem.
Use the Ethical Principles to Evaluate the Alternatives. Focus on ethical values and conceptions (autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and veracity) as well as ethical principles (autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and veracity) (paternalism, confidentiality, and informed consent). In most ethical decisions, one or more of these will be considered.

Create a list of pros and drawbacks for each possibility to show how it will effect the ethical concept or norm. Show alternatives in the pro column that defend or maintain each principle or value. Explain how an alternative would violate the principle or value in the con column. Carry out this procedure for each choice. You’ll be able to see which ethical standards are at odds in this case if you go through this method. For more information, consult the applicable code of ethics. Discussing the problem with a trustworthy colleague can help you get a more complete picture of the situation and possible solutions.

Make your choice. When the advantages and disadvantages of each option are clearly stated, a suitable framework for making a selection emerges. After then, each alternative must be analyzed one by one, keeping in mind how many benefits and drawbacks each decision would entail. The dental hygienist must next assess the pros and negatives, keeping in mind that, as a professional, he or she is obligated to put the patient’s interests first. The appropriate solution to an ethical challenge is frequently clear just by carefully evaluating the possibilities. Before putting the choice into action, the practitioner should compare each principle to the decision to see if it stands up to scrutiny.
Put the decision into action. The third phase entails following through on the choice made. If no action is taken, the decision-making process will be useless. Because this phase is skipped, many good decisions are never executed. It’s important to remember that no action constitutes tacit approval of a situation.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource

Submission Details:

Name:  Discussion Rubric

Name:  Discussion Rubric