Ethical Problem-Solving in Practice.
Identifying an Ethical Dilemma: Mental Health in
the Digital Age.
( Blog 3) Omozee Ugiagbe.
I have analysed so far an internal issue, which is ward
based. At this point, I would like to use these abilities to a contemporary
ethical issue that creates a grey area between the ward and the outside world:
misinformation about mental health on social media. This is a severe ethical
issue to all medical personnel. On social media, particularly social networks,
service users (particularly younger ones) are bombarded with unqualified advice
on a regular basis. This may be harmless self-care advice to highly hazardous
proposals regarding medication cessation or avoidance of therapy. In their
study, Koehler and Parrell (2020) discovered that most service providers know
about this, but they are highly uncertain about how to deal with it.
The paradox of employees is the following: what do we do
with such a situation? A service user has a right to autonomy, and they have
the right to gain access to information. There is also a clear duty of care to
guard them against harm. When we simply ignore what they say we run a risk of
ruining our therapeutic relationship as in the case of Mr. A. Unless we say
anything, we are not performing our duty of care. This is a complicated moral
balancing act.
3.2 Applying a Problem-Solving Framework
My module guide suggests a systematic problem-solving tool
to solve this. I'll use five whys. According to Serrat (2017), it is a basic yet
effective model for finding a problem's cause by asking why. The Five Whys will be the most effective way
to identify a single, actionable root cause, even though I could use a Fishbone
diagram or De Bono's Six Thinking Hats to view the problem through the prism of
various causes. It helps fix an issue
rather than just covering it.
Figure 2 'Five Whys' Analysis of the
Social Media Dilemma (Designed by Author)
I will use it to this particular issue: A service user
refuses to get into therapy due to the fact that he or she has seen on social
media that it is ineffective. The analysis is in the table.
|
The 'Five Whys' Analysis |
Analysis of the Problem |
|
1.
Why do they believe the social media post? |
Because it was made by an
'influencer' who seemed honest and relatable. |
|
2.
Why was that post more believable than the therapy team? |
Because the influencer's message was simple ("therapy
is a scam") and spoke to their feelings, while therapy seems complex and
difficult. |
|
3.
Why did they seek out this information? |
Because they are scared about
starting therapy and were looking for a reason not to do it. |
|
4.
Why are they scared about therapy? |
Because they do not understand the process, and no one has
explained it in a way that makes them feel safe or in control. |
|
5.
Why has no one explained it this way? (Root Cause) |
Because our team's standard
practice is to give a leaflet and a start date, not to have a detailed
conversation about the process and fears associated with
therapy before it begins. |
3.3 Formulating an Action Plan
This cause-and-effect analysis provides me with an answer.
It is not actually social media that is an issue, it is a gap that we created
that was being filled by social media. It is us who have the communication gap.
This is why my action plan does not include attempting to prohibit the use of
social media or to design a leaflet that will explain people that social media
is bad.
I advise our team construct a fresh information session
before therapy. Not a leaflet
session. Individual or small group
conversation addresses common anxieties and misconceptions. It would be a chance to build trust and
explain therapy, but fear is natural.
Discuss how to find useful information online. This action plan does not interfere with the
service user's autonomy, but it helps our duty of care in providing additional
information so they don't need to ask unqualified questions. This plan turns the ethical dilemma into a
practice improvement opportunity.
This blog discusses the ethical dilemmas encountered by medical practitioners in situations where service users get affected by misinformation regarding mental health on the internet. The author uses the Five Whys problem-solving approach to find out what has caused a patient to refuse therapy, and the loss of effective communication between the care team and a lack of emotional support should be considered the primary problem. Instead of focusing on the fault of social media, the author focuses on the way professionals can describe the therapy and address the fears in an open and trusting dialog. The suggested solution not only safeguards patient autonomy and enhances duty of care but also turns an ethical dilemma into a practice improvement.
ReplyDeleteOmozee analysis of the ethical dilemma around mental health misinformation on social media is insightful, especially the way you applied the Five Whys Framework to uncover the communication gap between professionals and service users. I appreciate that you shifted the focus away from blaming social media and instead highlighted the responsibility of practitioners to improve dialogue and trust.
ReplyDeletethank you jose.
ReplyDelete