Ethics, health professionals, end of life, education, moral reasoning
Abstract
Background: The impact of healthcare ethics educational interventions on participants’ ethical development is rarely
reported on and assessed; even less attention is paid to educational interventions that focus on end-of-life ethical issues.
Aim: To evaluate the impact of the Ethical Framework for End-of-Life Care Study Sessions Programme (EOLCSS) on the moral
development of healthcare staff who are delivering end-of-life care.
Methods: The EOLCSS was delivered to 20 multi-disciplinary health care staff in Ireland in May 2013. Effect on moral
reasoning was measured pre and post education using the Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT2). Inferential statistics were used
to examine the relationships between change in DIT2 scores and demographic variables.
Results: Participants experienced moral reasoning development following receipt of EOLCSS. Age and previous ethics
education contributed to the observed changes in moral reasoning.
Conclusions: Receipt of the EOLCSS may contribute to moral reasoning development in practicing healthcare
professionals.