title: Ethical decisions with limited resources. How is that possible?
abstract: Ethical decision making is a process case managers can use to help negotiate through complicated situations. In our complex health care delivery systems, case managers often have competing benefits and burdens to balance. In this article, the author presents an ethical decision making model that can assist in the process of decision making. The obligations of case managers to patients remain constant-attempting to be of benefit, but as the trajectory of care changes from acute to chronic to dying, the understanding of benefit will change. Caring for patients and their families within a managed care environment entails always keeping the benefit of the self, patient, family, employers, and society all in balance.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis 46202, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Keffer
mesh_terms: D026686:Beneficence; D019090:Case Management; D003657:Decision Making; D026689:Ethical Analysis; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D028681:Moral Obligations; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D040841:Resource Allocation; D016896:Treatment Outcome