Using Community Bioethics Dialogues as a Platform for Re-enchanting Community Members Regarding Health Care Issues
Peggy Determeyer, PhD., McGee Fellow on Bioethics and Aging, The Hope and Healing Center and Institute
Jerome W. Crowder, PhD., Assistant Professor, The Institute for the Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston
The public understanding of health care issues is woefully inadequate. As an example, in the 2014 report, Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life, the Institute of Medicine cites a 2011 poll in which 23% of American adults believed the Affordable Care Act “gave government the power to make end-of-life decisions on behalf of seniors, and 36% were not sure.” (p. ix) The lack of understanding regarding essential health care policy and treatment issues leaves users and their family members in a state of confusion when asked to make decisions regarding health care treatment options. More opportunities are needed for community members to discuss and debate care issues in an environment that promotes an educated understanding, breaking through the disenchantment wrought by evidence-based medicine.
Community bioethics dialogue (CBD) provides a means to “re-enchant” medicine by allowing members of community groups to engage in extended, informed dialogue around bioethics issues and develop a list of ethical values that reflect the community perspective and that can then be used to guide health policy. In the past, most community dialogue projects addressed a single topic (such as access to healthcare or genetic screening and privacy) and then disbanded. CBD have been used with multiple community groups in Galveston, Texas, to consider Patient-Centered Outcomes Research and Mental Health Issues for Seniors. The sessions demonstrate that CBD provides a dynamic platform for re-enchanting medicine, educating participants on various health care issues using various media including articles, presentations, and case studies. In the dialogues, participants use a combination of readings, expertise, and a discussion of values to identify potential community needs and enhance personal understanding of rights and responsibilities in having those needs met, including prospects when individual capacity-making is lost. In addition to providing an overview of the dialogues held in Galveston, the presenter(s) will share a schema for participants to develop an outline for applying the methodology in their own communities, including resource needs, target audiences, and bibliographic content.
Jerome W. Crowder, PhD., Assistant Professor, The Institute for the Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston
The public understanding of health care issues is woefully inadequate. As an example, in the 2014 report, Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life, the Institute of Medicine cites a 2011 poll in which 23% of American adults believed the Affordable Care Act “gave government the power to make end-of-life decisions on behalf of seniors, and 36% were not sure.” (p. ix) The lack of understanding regarding essential health care policy and treatment issues leaves users and their family members in a state of confusion when asked to make decisions regarding health care treatment options. More opportunities are needed for community members to discuss and debate care issues in an environment that promotes an educated understanding, breaking through the disenchantment wrought by evidence-based medicine.
Community bioethics dialogue (CBD) provides a means to “re-enchant” medicine by allowing members of community groups to engage in extended, informed dialogue around bioethics issues and develop a list of ethical values that reflect the community perspective and that can then be used to guide health policy. In the past, most community dialogue projects addressed a single topic (such as access to healthcare or genetic screening and privacy) and then disbanded. CBD have been used with multiple community groups in Galveston, Texas, to consider Patient-Centered Outcomes Research and Mental Health Issues for Seniors. The sessions demonstrate that CBD provides a dynamic platform for re-enchanting medicine, educating participants on various health care issues using various media including articles, presentations, and case studies. In the dialogues, participants use a combination of readings, expertise, and a discussion of values to identify potential community needs and enhance personal understanding of rights and responsibilities in having those needs met, including prospects when individual capacity-making is lost. In addition to providing an overview of the dialogues held in Galveston, the presenter(s) will share a schema for participants to develop an outline for applying the methodology in their own communities, including resource needs, target audiences, and bibliographic content.