Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Primary Care Building, Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6TD, UK.
Patient Educ Couns. 2021 Nov;104(11):2643-2647. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.07.022. Epub 2021 Jul 15.
Most writing about uncertainty in healthcare has addressed empirical uncertainty - that is, resulting from insufficient or conflicting facts.
To consider moral uncertainty by exploring how different theories apply to a single clinical case.
In this philosophical reflection, I briefly acknowledge empirical uncertainty before introducing and exploring the topic of moral uncertainty - defined as the question of what to do when we do not know what (morally) to do-using a case study of my own mother's deterioration and death from Covid-19.
I identify and apply a number of philosophical theories relevant to managing moral uncertainty, including utilitarianism, deontology, practical rationality and feminist philosophy.
Different moral theories lead to different conclusions about the best course of action in situations of moral uncertainty.
Detailed analysis and close reading of a single case can provide insights into how to act in morally complex situations, but learning is in the form of enriched understanding, not formulaic rules.
大多数关于医疗保健不确定性的研究都集中在经验不确定性上，即由于事实不足或相互矛盾而导致的不确定性。
通过探讨不同理论如何应用于一个单一的临床案例，来考虑道德不确定性。
在这篇哲学反思中，我简要地承认了经验不确定性，然后介绍并探讨了道德不确定性的话题——即当我们不知道该怎么做（道德上）时，会出现什么问题——使用我母亲因 COVID-19 恶化和死亡的案例研究。
我确定并应用了一些与管理道德不确定性相关的哲学理论，包括功利主义、义务论、实践理性和女性主义哲学。
不同的道德理论导致在道德不确定性情况下采取最佳行动的结论不同。
对单个案例的详细分析和仔细阅读可以为如何在道德复杂情况下采取行动提供见解，但学习形式是丰富的理解，而不是公式化的规则。
