Scenario 2: You are a social worker in a nursing home. Your favorite resident, Mr. Blakely (diagnosed with dementia 6 months ago), has just returned from a doctors visit with his son. His son tells you that Mr. Blakely has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The son does not want you to tell Mr. Blakely or any of the family (he has power of attorney) about this new diagnosis. He says, Dad wont remember it anyway. Later that day, Mr. Blakely asks you what the doctor said about his visit because his son would not tell him. What do you do? The patient is also given new medications (for cancer pain management) and wants to know what they are for. What do you tell him?Consider how you would respond to the scenario using the ETHIC Model.
Elaine Congress’s
ETHIC
Model of Decision Making
E
EXAMINE relevant personal, societal, agency, client, and professional values.
T
THINK about what ethical standard of the NASW Code of Ethics applies, as well as relevant laws and case decisions.
H
HYPOTHESIZE about possible consequences of different decisions.
I
IDENTIFY who will benefit and who will be harmed in view of social works commitment to the most vulnerable.
C
CONSULT with supervisor and colleagues about the most ethical choice.
Congress, E. P. (2000). What social workers should know about ethics: Understanding and resolving practice dilemmas. Advances in Social Work, 1(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.18060/124
