Ethical Deliberation: A Foundation for Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

Infusing evidence-based practice (EBP) into the clinical setting implies that professionals use evidence that is relevant and credible, maintain their pursuit of best current knowledge, respect their clients' preferences and values, and keep these clients and their families appropriately informed about their treatment options. Thus, rational and judicious EBP must be guided by speech-language pathologists' or audiologists' ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and autonomy. In this article, we will affirm the centrality of ethical reasoning in EBP by describing what it means to be a professional as reflected in our Code of Ethics, reviewing the principles of ethics that underlie clinical decision making, and demonstrating how an ethical framework can and should provide the context in which EBP is conducted.

Exploring factors influencing occupational therapists’ perception of patients’ rehabilitation potential after acquired brain injury

“…Hence, future studies examining clinical reasoning underlying the assessment of RP in actual acute care settings are required to better understand how clinicians interpret and determine RP. Furthermore, recent models of evidence‐based practice advocate that patient characteristics, professional expertise and scientific evidence are essential sources of information that influence clinical decisions, while environmental contexts and ethical considerations also shape these decisions (Chabon, Morris & Lemoncello, ; Satterfield et al ., ). Clinical reasoning that incorporates elements of evidence‐based practice is the cornerstone of professional competency and results of our study suggest that as a group, experienced occupational therapists consider several elements of evidence‐based practice when discussing the assessment of RP.…”

¿Qué tanto entendemos el concepto de practica basada en la evidencia en terapia ocupacional?

“…Cuando incorporamos la palabra "evidencia" dentro del concepto de EBP, ésta pasa a ser solo un acápite de lo que significa este método (sumándose a los demás componentes que conforman la EBP: La percepción y experiencia del profesional, las necesidades del usuario y la situación contextual), y no se convierte bajo ninguna circunstancia en el único factor determinante para esclarecer una determina decisión en relación a un tratamiento o acción específica que se llevará a cabo (Gustafsson, Molineux, & Bennett, 2014), sino que, se suma como un elemento que aporta a la visión y entendimiento que tenemos del problema. Por lo tanto no deja de ser fundamental que para comprender este método, debemos contemplar todos sus componentes de forma simétrica entendiendo que alguno de estos factores tomará mayor relevancia de acuerdo a la situación específica en la cual nos encontremos situados (Chabon, Morris, & Lemoncello, 2011). Por otra parte, es determinante contemplar el carácter laxo que tiene la EBP como un proceso que está en un cambio continuo (comprendiendo que estos cuatro factores se encuentran en una constante renovación) y en una evaluación permanente (Thomas, Saroyan, & Lajoie, 2012), que por ningún motivo debe ser entendida como una práctica lineal, debido a que su aplicación no garantiza resultados exitosos al primer intento, sino más bien busca generar un pensamiento y accionar crítico y reflexivo en relación a las propias praxis (Gustafsson et al, 2014).…”

Integridade científica e direitos autorais nos códigos de ética profissional

“…Nevertheless, it is possible to list progress made in some areas of knowledge, as well as measures adopted to solve the problems indicated. Ideally, professionals and researchers should adopt behaviours and practices anchored in ethical requirements throughout their careers 53 .…”