| Speaking up in case management, part I: ethical and professional considerations. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20631591 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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OBJECTIVES: Case managers will occasionally witness colleagues from their own or other healthcare disciplines providing care in ways that frankly deviate from or violate standards of care, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. This article will discuss the case manager's ethical obligation to speak up in such instances as well as list strategies illustrated in this article by a three-color flag system that classifies poor, better, and best responses to ethically challenging situations. PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTINGS: All case management work environments. FINDINGS/CONCLUSIONS: When health professionals practice in ways that deviate from established policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and standards of care, they jeopardize the safety and welfare of their clients and, often, their employing institutions. Although speaking up is often difficult due to fears of retaliation or an organizational nonresponse, the fundamental ethical obligation of case managers is to protect and further their client's health and welfare rather than their professional self-interests. Consequently, the ethically conscientious case manager will pursue strategies whereby weaknesses or latent hazards that might compromise a client's care can be remediated. IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE: Because they practice in the midst of multidisciplinary care, case managers have a marked opportunity to witness any number of practice standards being ignored or violated. Case managers need to cultivate a heightened moral awareness and response to such situations, especially when deviations from standards of care have become routine or "normalized." Critical elements in speaking up include cultivating a method to discern the moral perils of remaining silent, learning communication techniques to conduct emotionally challenging conversations, and building organizational leadership that recognizes the value of speaking up and supports safe harbors for employees who speak up appropriately. |
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Authors:
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Kathy Craig; John D Banja |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Professional case management Volume: 15 ISSN: 1932-8095 ISO Abbreviation: Prof Case Manag Publication Date: 2010 Jul-Aug |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-07-15 Completed Date: 2011-03-07 Revised Date: 2011-08-25 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101291585 Medline TA: Prof Case Manag Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 179-85; quiz 186-7 Citation Subset: N |
Affiliation:
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Craig Research Continuum, LLC, 612 Third Street, Annapolis, MD 21403, USA. kdcraigrn@earthlink.net |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Case Management* Certification Communication* Ethics, Nursing* Humans Nurse's Role* Nursing Care / methods* Organizational Culture Patient Care / standards Safety / standards United States |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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