title: Bioethics consultation: the Rashomon effect.
abstract: Most clinical ethical dilemmas are resolved when the facts are clear, communicated to all involved, and the stakeholders agree on goals consistent with the patient's best interests and values. However, in some instances, participants continue to remember and observe the same situation differently, and resolution remains elusive. This article refers to the classic film, Rashomon, in which the truth remains different for four observers of the same scene. The discussion explores the phenomenon, provides some examples and recommendations for what remain very difficult ethical dilemmas.
authors: The Bioethics Institute; Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, California 90045-8642, USA. mpcotler@verizon.net
authors: Miriam Piven
authors: MP
authors: Cotler
mesh_terms: D028741:Ethics Committees, Clinical; D033061:Ethics Consultation; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D006801:Humans