Ethics Communication in Groups Among Healthcare Professionals (The Ethics-com Study).

Umeå University

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Ethics Support

Treatments: Other: ethics communication in group, in line with "the one to five-step method"

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05146102

Ethics-com001

Details and patient eligibility

About

Moral distress has been described as a condition with frustration, guilt, anger and as one reason for health care professionals to leave the profession. Ethics communication in groups has been showed to work as support for health care professionals in ethically difficult situations and further work as a tool to improve the ethical climate and prevent moral distress. Our research group has developed the "one to five-step method" for interprofessional ethical communication in groups. The overall aim of this project: is to implement and evaluate a method for organized interprofessional communication about ethical issues in healthcare.

Full description

Ethically difficult situations are a part of the everyday clinical practice for health care professionals and concerns difficult judgements, prioritization and crucial decisions. Being unable or prevented to act according to one's moral conviction for what is good and right care may increase the risk for health care professionals to experience moral distress. Moral distress has been described as a condition with frustration, guilt, anger and as one reason for health care professionals to leave the profession. Ethics communication in groups has been showed to work as support for health care professionals in ethically difficult situations and further work as a tool to improve the ethical climate and prevent moral distress. Our research group has developed the "one to five-step method" for interprofessional ethical communication in groups. The method is a stepwise support for facilitating ethics communication in clinical practice when the situations occurs. The overall aim of this project: is to implement and evaluate a method for organized interprofessional communication about ethical issues in healthcare.

Significance: The study can generate knowledge about ethics communication in groups in line with the " one to five step method", reduce moral distress, create improved ethical climate for healthcare professionals and in turn open up prerequisites for good care.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• healthcare professionals working at included wards

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

ethics communication in group, in line with "the one to five-step method"

Experimental group

Description:

Healthcare professionals working as "ethical representatives" at the current ward (n=5) have recently gone through a basic ethics program. They will continue by going through an education program for facilitating ethics communication in group, in line with "the one to five-step method" * The education program has a theoretical and practical approach, which includes the theoretical base of the ethical communication in groups and practicing "the one to five method" * Thereafter, each "ethical representative" will facilitate interprofessional sessions at a clinical ward, once a month, for six months at their workplace. Gathering meetings for feedback will be offered for the "ethical representatives" once a month.

Treatment:

Other: ethics communication in group, in line with "the one to five-step method"

No organized ethics communication in group

No Intervention group

Description:

Healthcare professionals working as "ethical representatives" at the current ward (n=5) have recently gone through a basic ethics program. They have not being educated in "the one to five-step method and organized interprofessional sessions are not planned at the wards.