Reference no: EM133216914

According to Nelson (2005), healthcare managers and leaders should use the approach of procedural justice when making decisions. Procedural justice is similar to stakeholder theory in that it "takes into account the rights, values, and interests of the broad range of individuals and groups who are affected by" an ethical conflict and "will be harmed by or will benefit from the decision" (Nelson 2005, 10). In applying procedural justice to ethical conflicts, one challenge is how to prioritize the competing values. Werhane (2000) suggests that, for healthcare organizations, the appropriate prioritization should be (1) patients or the population served, (2) clinicians and staff, and (3) the organization, including its financial stability.

Review the example of the elderly patient with Alzheimer's disease in the "Ethics of Care" section and then tackle the following:

Question 1: How do you prioritize the interests of the affected individuals and groups per Nelson's definition of procedural justice.

Question 2: What happens to the interests of family members, neighbors, friends, and lay volunteers (such as Meals on Wheels staff ) in procedural justice?

Question 3: Does the presence or absence of public transportation and community services and the elderly patient's personal social support system (such as religious organization) matter in procedural justice?