Ethical Analysis and Review
What is ethical analysis?
Three methods to analyse ethical dilemmas are a foundational approach, a principle approach, and a case-based approach (casuistry).
A foundational approach looks at different moral theories and uses the criteria used to establish whether something is ethical or not. The criteria can be applied to different situations with consistency. It is particularly useful when there are common words with different descriptions depending on which theory is defining the term, such as ‘harm’. Defining terms clearly at the beginning of a project means less time and resources wasted in misunderstandings and backtracking.
A principle approach is when there are principles used to guide decision-making. Certain principles can be used to direct decisions based on an organisation’s values. For example, the four principles commonly used in biomedical ethics are autonomy, benevolence, non-maleficence, and justice.
With a case-based approach (casuistry) people look at how to address an ethical issue by looking for familiarities between cases. It can benefit people from one area by looking at other examples in the same field, as well as those working on interdisciplinary teams by providing relatable cases and providing insight into other disciplines.
What is ethical review?
It is when a document is looked at for its ethical validity; basically, does it make sense. Has the same criteria been applied throughout the analysis consistently?