WELCOME to The CENTERED SURGEON​

The ethical process aims to identify the most morally acceptable solution, considering as many possible aspects of a problem as possible.

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It seems like the right thing to do, of course.  But it's a dangerous space, full of thinkers who are challenging whether the status quo is right.  Advocates for change.  Change is hard.

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Our human inclination to work out problems ethically explains why human rights, and ultimately patient rights, have evolved over the last couple of millenia of human history.

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Of course, solving a problem leads us to see more problems which require solving.  Since our problem solving ability has not maintained the pace of human progress, the field of modern bioethics arose in the last ~100 years.

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The pandemic brought into focus a number of gaps between health technologies and the status of our collective moral reasoning around masking, vaccination, and management of scarce resources.  These gaps have increased the incidence of 'moral injury,' now commonplace terminology in the medical and lay health literature these days.  Moral injury describes the emotional aftermath we feel when our moral principles are violated.

 

Finding the right language to describe ethical problems can be the first step in recognizing and minimizing moral injury.  If you are navigating this dangerous space of change and progress, I hope to hear from you.

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Sincerely,
Jill