Organ Donation and the Ethics of Muddling Through

TY - JOUR

T1 - Organ Donation and the Ethics of Muddling Through

AU - Høyer, Klaus Lindgaard

AU - Jensen, Anja Marie Bornø

PY - 2010/1/24

Y1 - 2010/1/24

N2 - Organ donation offers opportunities for people in critical care units to help save the lives of other patients. It is not always easy, however, to handle the transition from treating a patient to preserving a potential donor, and organ donation consistently provokes ethical questions in critical care units. What do we expect ethics to deliver? In light of a recent ethics conference in Denmark, we suggest that by acknowledging that decisions made in the clinic rarely abide to rational decision trees with clear ethical priorities, we can better learn from each other's experiences. We suggest embracing an 'ethics of muddling through' to enhance relevant reflections and stimulate a productive dialogue among health professionals.

AB - Organ donation offers opportunities for people in critical care units to help save the lives of other patients. It is not always easy, however, to handle the transition from treating a patient to preserving a potential donor, and organ donation consistently provokes ethical questions in critical care units. What do we expect ethics to deliver? In light of a recent ethics conference in Denmark, we suggest that by acknowledging that decisions made in the clinic rarely abide to rational decision trees with clear ethical priorities, we can better learn from each other's experiences. We suggest embracing an 'ethics of muddling through' to enhance relevant reflections and stimulate a productive dialogue among health professionals.

U2 - 10.1186/cc9379

DO - 10.1186/cc9379

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21345280

SN - 1364-8535

VL - 15

SP - 109

JO - Critical Care

JF - Critical Care

IS - 1

ER -