How health care professionals confront and solve ethical dilemmas - a tale of two countries: Slovenia and Croatia

Grosek, Štefan (author), Kučan, Rok (author), Grošelj, Jon (author), Oražem, Miha (author), Erčulj, Vanja Ida (author), Lajovic, Jaro (author), Ivanc, Blaž (author), Novak, Milivoj (author), Prpić Massari, Larisa (author), Matanović, Suzana Mimica (author), Meštrović, Julije (author), Borovečki, Ana (author)

Aim: To assess the differences in the way how Slovenian and Croatian health care professionals (HCPs) confront ethical dilemmas and perceive the role of hospital ethics committees (HECs). Methods: This cross-sectional, survey-based study involved HCPs from three Slovenian and five Croatian university medical centers (UMC). The final sample sizes were 308 (244 or 79.2% women) for Slovenia and 485 (398 or 82.1% women) for Croatia. Results: Compared with Croatian physicians, Slovenian physicians reported a higher share of ethical dilemmas regarding waiting periods for diagnostics or treatment, suboptimal working conditions due to interpersonal relationships in the ward, and end-of-life treatment withdrawal, and a lower share regarding access to palliative care and patient information protection. Compared with Croatian nurses, Slovenian nurses reported a lower share of ethical dilemmas regarding the distribution of limited resources, recognizing the patient's best interests, and access to palliative care. Compared with Croatian other HCPs, Slovenian other HCPs reported a lower burden of ethical dilemmas regarding waiting periods for diagnostics or treatment, distribution of limited resources, and access to palliative care. When encountering an ethical dilemma, all HCPs in both countries would first consult their colleagues. Slovenian and Croatian HCPs recognized the importance of the HECs to a similar extent, but viewed their role differently. Conclusion: Croatian and Slovenian HCPs are confronted with different ethical dilemmas and perceive the role of HECs differently.

• Language: English
• Keywords: health care professionals, ethical dilemmas, hospital ethics committees
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 120-129
• Numbering: Vol. 62, iss. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-126750
• UDC: 614:174
• ISSN on article: 0353-9504
• DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2021.62.120
• COBISS.SI-ID: 61959171
• Publication date in RUL: 05.05.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Croatian medical journal
• Shortened title: Croat. med. j.
• Publisher: University of Zagreb Medical School
• ISSN: 0353-9504
• COBISS.SI-ID: 33135360

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Project number: 20140215
• Name: Project development of the Committee for Medical Ethics University Medical Centre Ljubljana and Clinical Ethics 2014 - 2016