Philosophical foundations of clinical ethics: A hermeneutic perspective

This chapter draws on examples taken from the area of nursing to illustrate some of the normative problems that medical staff currently experience in German hospitals. Clinical ethics consultation could provide the appropriate institutional setting for medical staff to reflect on their professional norms and duties in the hospital environment. This reflection is a crucial task because the fulfillment of traditional professional norms is challenged by current developments within the health system such as rationalization, rationing and an increased emphasis on economic incentives. The professional ethics of nurses and physicians respectively comprise some kind of traditional knowledge of what it means to be a good nurse or a good doctor. A lot of this knowledge has been transmitted by example and has been part of the daily practice of medicine. Clinical ethics consultation can help medical staff to express their conflicts and problems more clearly