Overview of Ethical Theory

Objective: To provide an overview of the theories used within the biomedical ethics field and to demonstrate how they might be used within the chiropractic educational, research and clinical setting

Discussion: There is little question that the nature and complexity of both chiropractic research and the chiropractic clinical experience is becoming more complex. Because of that, the profession needs to become more cognizant of the ethics profess, the nature of biomedical ethics, and the application of ethics theory to practice and research. The goal of this presentation is to present a brief review of the most common and influential bioethics theories that are in use today. After providing a series of definitions of terms and depicting the 8 criteria for a good theory, the presentation will focus upon 7 main theoretical approaches:

• Utilitaranism: Consequence-based theory

• Kantianism: Obligation-based theory

• Character Ethics: Virtue-based theory

• Liberal Individualism: Rights-based theory

• Communitarianism: Community-based theory

• Ethics of Care: Relationship-based theory

• Casuistry: Case-based theory

Conclusion: The application of these approaches to the chiropractic profession has revived no attention at all. This comes at a time of substantial growth in the amount and complexity of chiropractic research. Exposure to these theories can help inform the ethics process at many levels: for the use of human subjects in research, for the care of patients in the clinical setting, as an educational adjunct, and as a means to have fertile discussions about ethics in the future.