Abstract
Ethics involves examining values and identifying what is good, right, and justified – and why. Diverse values and ethical issues run through healthcare improvement, but they are not always recognised or given the attention they need. While much effort goes into understanding whether intervention X effectively leads to change Y, questions such as 'is X ethically acceptable?', 'does Y count as an improvement?', 'should Y be prioritised?', and 'if so, why?' are sometimes neglected. This Element demonstrates the ethical considerations and rich array of values that inevitably underpin both the goals of healthcare improvement (what aspects of quality or what kinds of good are pursued) and how improvement work is undertaken. It outlines an agenda for improvement ethics with the aim of helping those involved in healthcare improvement to reflect on and discuss ethical aspects of their work more explicitly and rigorously. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Cambridge |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Number of pages | 44 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781009325202 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 16 Apr 2024 |
Publication series
Name | About Improving Quality and Safety in Healthcare |
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Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
ISSN (Print) | 2754-2904 |
ISSN (Electronic) | 2754-2912 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgementsWe thank the peer reviewers for their insightful comments and recommendations to improve the Element. A list of peer reviewers is published at www.cambridge .org/IQ-peer-reviewers.
Keywords
- ethics
- values
- implicit normativity
- ethical analysis
- improvement ethics