Linking biomedical engineering ethics case study approach and policy

The authors look at how using the case study method to teach ethics can help students develop an understanding of the complex nature of practical/moral reasoning. However, one of the drawbacks of this method is that the individual nature of each case can make it difficult for students to identify the most important information and to see what moral considerations in the case are most relevant. To overcome this obstacle, the authors present a framework for moral decision making derived from suggestions made by W.D. Ross and Virginia Held. Ross articulates the multiple sources of morality and Held deepens the discussion by reminding us of the foundational importance of care and sympathy to our moral natures. This framework, when applied to cases, can be of assistance in helping develop policies and codes of ethics with sufficient plasticity to be useful in the complex world of the bioengineer.