Ethical Frameworks in Healthcare

Ethical frameworks in healthcare provide:

• A single right answer for all cases

• Different lenses for analyzing dilemmas

• Fixed rules that never change

• Only legal guidance

Kohlberg studied morality by focusing on:

• What decisions people make

• How people reason about right and wrong

• The consequences of actions

• Religious commandments

Which level of Kohlberg’s moral reasoning is typical in children?

• Preconventional

• Conventional

• Postconventional

• Universal

A patient who obeys therapy only to avoid punishment is in:

• Stage 1 – Obedience and Punishment Orientation

• Stage 2 – Individualism and Exchange

• Stage 3 – Interpersonal Conformity

• Stage 4 – Law and Order

A teenager who wears a mask only to avoid fines is reasoning at:

• Stage 2

• Stage 3

• Stage 4

• Stage 6

Following vaccination “because the government requires it” reflects:

• Stage 1

• Stage 3

• Stage 4

• Stage 5

Advocating palliative care based on dignity and justice reflects:

• Stage 2

• Stage 4

• Stage 5

• Stage 6

Kohlberg’s highest stage of reasoning is guided by:

• Universal ethical principles

• Family expectations

• Fear of punishment

• Rewards

In healthcare, Kohlberg helps professionals:

• Label patients as “ignorant”

• Recognize patient reasoning stages

• Focus only on compliance

• Avoid patient dialogue

Maslow’s hierarchy teaches that:

• Patients always act from self-actualization

• Lower unmet needs hinder higher goals

• Physiological needs are less important than esteem

• Ethics ignores human needs