A 10-step approach to ethical decision making
- Ask, is the question an ethical one?
- List all the people in involved
- Generate solutions to the problem: rule nothing out
- Assess the advantages and disadvantages of each solution (using thefour principles)
- Make a decision (using consequentialist and deontological theory)
- Discuss your decision with colleagues
- Check the precedents: GMC, legal, etc
- Make a final decision
- Impart the information to the patient in an ethical way
- Record everything.