This article reviews the common ethical principles, values, and duties that are at the core of any ethical dilemma in health care and presents a simple model for ethical decision making that can be used in the types of daily ethical challenges confronted by home health care organizations. Principles such as autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and veracity, or truthfulness, are presented with practical application in the home care setting. A case study format is used to analyze the variety of principles and conflicts that home care staff often face in their daily practice, and the model for ethical inquiry is used to arrive at practical alternatives.
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.1997-98Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Home Care. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: Joint Commission; 1996.
