Harms, Wrongs, and Medical Moral Injury

In this article I explore the contribution of ethical analysis and theological reflection to understanding and responding to moral injury of healthcare workers in light of the COVID pandemic. I begin by critically appraising the relevance of moral injury for healthcare contexts, and suggest that the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Sloane, Andrew 1962- (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Verificar disponibilidad: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Publicado: 2023
En: Studies in Christian ethics
Año: 2023, Volumen: 36, Número: 3, Páginas: 551-581
Clasificaciones IxTheo:KAJ Época contemporánea
NBE Antropología
NCA Ética
NCH Ética de la medicina
Otras palabras clave:B Forgiveness
B Remorse
B agent regret
B Apology
B harms
B Pandemic
B wrongs
B Moral Injury
Acceso en línea: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Descripción
Sumario:In this article I explore the contribution of ethical analysis and theological reflection to understanding and responding to moral injury of healthcare workers in light of the COVID pandemic. I begin by critically appraising the relevance of moral injury for healthcare contexts, and suggest that the term ‘medical moral injury’ should be used to differentiate it from ‘military moral injury’. I briefly relate medical moral injury to other relevant phenomena, such as moral dilemmas, moral distress, and moral residue, arguing that moral injury in healthcare contexts might take chronic as well as acute forms. I suggest that agent regret might play an important role in understanding medical moral injury. The associated distinction between harms and wrongs, and so regret and remorse, help us identify different kinds of moral injury, and the distinct role that apology plays in each instance. Theological reflection on penitence, forgiveness, and lament also contributes to understanding and responding to potentially morally injurious events. I conclude that while psychological intervention plays an important role in medical moral injury, moral and theological perspectives provide both crucial lenses through which to understand these potentially injurious moral landscapes, and resources to assist healthcare workers in navigating them more safely.
ISSN:0953-9468
Obras secundarias:Enthalten in: Studies in Christian ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/09539468231160015