Introduction
Ethical dilemmas in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings are common, particularly when balancing resident autonomy, safety, and quality of life. While hospitals often have formal ethics committees or consultation services, many PALTC facilities lack structured ethics support, leaving staff without clear guidance when facing difficult care decisions. This gap in ethical resources can lead to uncertainty in decision-making, increased moral distress among staff, and inconsistent approaches to complex cases. Additionally, many healthcare providers receive little to no formal ethics training. This lack of preparation can further exacerbate challenges in addressing ethical dilemmas in practice.
This toolkit aims to bridge these gaps by providing an overview of fundamental ethical principles and decision-making frameworks tailored to PALTC settings. Designed for nursing home medical directors and other members of the interdisciplinary care team, it offers practical strategies for navigating ethical challenges, supporting staff in ethical decision-making, and fostering a culture of ethical awareness within their facilities. Through case studies and real-world scenarios, the toolkit equips medical directors and other providers with the tools needed to establish a strong ethical framework, empowering staff to address complex ethical issues while upholding the values of autonomy, safety, and quality of life for residents.
FURTHER READING
Hoffman, D. N., & Strand, G. R. (2024). ‘Sit down and thrash it out’: opportunities for expanding ethics consultation during conflict resolution in long-term care. The New Bioethics, 30(2), 152–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/20502877.2024.2330275