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Description
Dr. Kockler explores the ethical challenges of sustaining therapeutic relationships with patients who use, abuse, and are addicted to drugs. He examines selected cases and gives attention to how ethics consultation might assess different approaches to caring for these patients. The best care plan is not always clear, as ethically defensible and medically appropriate courses of action are often shrouded by systemic barriers, communication break-downs, personal and professional biases, or specific choices by doctors and patients. Dr. Kockler concludes with some reflections on the connection between the presence of ethics in health care and professional competencies.
Dr. Kockler explores the ethical challenges of sustaining therapeutic relationships with patients who use, abuse, and are addicted to drugs. He examines selected cases and gives attention to how ethics consultation might assess different approaches to caring for these patients. The best care plan is not always clear, as ethically defensible and medically appropriate courses of action are often shrouded by systemic barriers, communication break-downs, personal and professional biases, or specific choices by doctors and patients. Dr. Kockler concludes with some reflections on the connection between the presence of ethics in health care and professional competencies.
Presenter: Nicholas J. Kockler, Ph.D.
Dr. Kockler is Senior Ethicist at the Providence Center for Health Care Ethics and is the initial point person for ethics at Providence Portland Medical Center. He previously served as Assistant Professor in the Bioethics Institute of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Kockler has published articles in health care ethics and co-authored a book with Prof. Thomas A. Shannon entitled, An Introduction to Bioethics, Fourth Edition. He holds a doctorate in Health Care Ethics from Duquesne University, a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Northwestern University, a Master of Arts in Health Care Ethics from Loyola University Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology also from Loyola University Chicago.