Table 2.
Application of an ethical decision-making process11
Ethics decision-making steps | Examples |
---|---|
1. Identify the context of an ethical decision | Dependencies on opioids and the potential for over-prescribing has created a need for a BPA |
2. Formulate a specific ethical question | Will this opioid-focused BPA be designed to provide at least as many benefits for patients as for other stakeholders? |
3. Identify stakeholders |
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4. Generate options (value promoting and burdens endured) |
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5. Select (and recommend) one option | Designing the BPA to trigger only when prescribing specified classes of opioids is ethically justified because it is the only one that benefits patients at least as much or more than other stakeholders |
6. Discuss how to prevent or address future ethical conflicts | Future classification of opioids may change, creating the potential for new or different ethical conflicts. If such reclassification occurs, ethical considerations for this BPA should be reviewed |
Abbreviation: BPA: best practice advisory.