Real World Ethics: When It's Hard to Be Good

Session description:
The session will engage audience members in active discussion of common contemporary ethical challenges in clinical practice, namely those relating to dealing with difficult behaviours from patients (+/- their families) and colleagues. The session will involve facilitated panel (and audience) discussion of three hypothetical cases. The cases will illustrate commonly encountered situations in kidney care that may present ethical dilemmas for clinicians. Clinician and ethicist panelists will discuss the cases, and share their experiences and advice on management strategies, providing different perspectives influenced by local contexts and policies. Some principles and recommendations to guide practice will be presented and their potential value and limitations will be discussed. Audience members will also be asked to provide feedback on the recommendations in real time using an online app.
Learning objectives:
Identify ethical, clinical, social, legal, and practical considerations that may be relevant when dealing with difficult behaviours from patients, patients' families or professional colleagues. Formulate ethically acceptable strategies for dealing with difficult behaviours in kidney care in the local setting. Critically evaluate potential recommendations for policy and practice when dealing with difficult behaviours in the context of kidney care.