HCS IV - Ethical Issues in the ED

Goal:
This course is intended to give the 4th year student an opportunity to focus on ethical issues unique to the
Emergency Department setting.

Objectives:
After participating in the interactive session, the student will be able to:

Define an Advanced Directive

Determine when an Advanced Directive applies
Apply criteria for determining capacity
Recognize the essential elements of informed consent
Differentiate patient confidentiality and duty to report

Structure:
During this rotation, an interactive session will meet for one hour during the first week of the rotation.

Requirement:

Active participation in case discussion

If absent for the group session, the student will read 2 articles highlighting ethical cases and issues
relevant to the Emergency Department.
Ethics in the Trenches - Part I
Ethics in the Trenches - Part II
Resources → Clerkship Assignments → HCS → HCS Remediation
The student will then choose 2 cases from the Ethics Case document [Resources → Clerkship
Assignments → HCS → HCS Remediation → HCS Cases] – One from Group A and one from the
Group B.
For each case, the student will document the medical indications, patient preferences, quality of life
and contextual features (Jonsen Seigler, Winslade model) for each case. The student will then write
a succinct statement of the ethical issue and recommendations, based on ethical principles (up to 2
pgs).
Responses should be typed and submitted to Dr. Hogan by the last day of the rotation.

Grading will be Pass/Fail.