In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • Editors’ Note
  • James M. DuBois, Ana S. Ilitis, and Susan G. DuBois

This issue of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics elucidates various bioethical issues through a narrative symposium, a case study, and two qualitative research articles.

How do clinicians experience and manage moral distress? The narrative symposium edited by Cynda Rushton and Renee Boss, “The Many Faces of Moral Distress,” presents a collection of stories by inter–professional healthcare providers about their personal experiences of moral distress and how these events affected their work and their lives in general. The four commentary articles offer important insights into these stories.

How do ambulatory patients with cancer define or experience hope? Emily S. Beckman, Paul R. Helft, and Alexia M. Torke interviewed patients to explore their perception of hope and then conducted a thematic analysis to identify key concepts related to patient perceptions of hope. These researchers conclude that in a clinical context, the exploration of patients’ hopes and aspirations in light of their cancer diagnosis is important because it provides a frame for understanding their goals for treatment.

How should medical schools assess competence in ethics? Assessment of competence has been a limiting factor in in ethics education in medical training. This study, by Margaret Moon, Holly A. Taylor, Erin L. McDonald, Mark T. Hughes, Mary Catherine Beach, and Joseph A. Carrese, was conducted to test the concept that content analysis of pediatric residents’ personal reflections about ethics experiences can identify changes in ethical sensitivity and reasoning over time.

What is a surgeon’s responsibility when faced with a patient who may be engaging in fraudulent activities? A case study based on a discussion by diverse professionals on the same healthcare team gives the reader an interesting view of how different experts may evaluate and address a complex ethical dilemma. Contributors include: Gordon Kauffman, a breast surgeon; Maria Baker, genetic counselor/medical geneticist; George Blackall, clinical psychologist; Michael Green, chair of the institutional ethics committee; and Rebecca Volpe, director of the ethics consultation service.

News about Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics

Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics is now indexed in PubMed and Medline. We are very pleased about this development, as it will make the journal and the work of our authors more broadly accessible.

We have also established new and exciting partnerships with several important ethical consultation services. The bioethics departments at M D Anderson, the Cleveland Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente have agreed to publish annually a case study in NIB. This will allow them to highlight their approaches to clinical ethics consultations and will give the journal access to interesting cases to share with our readers. [End Page v]

...

pdf

Share