PoPulationand Public HealtH etHics

section 3: Practice
Within these cases, we learn about challenges facing front-line practitioners
in Canada and globally. The cases cover circumstances related to public
health outbreaks, evidence-informed public health action and environmental
exposures.
Accompanying case discussions provide examples of how an analysis of ethics
issues can be done. The purpose of these discussions is to complement the
case studies with an analysis of the issues and related considerations from a
population and public health ethics perspective. As you read the cases and
related discussions, we encourage you to recognize that this is but one perspective
in response to the case. As with many things in life, there is no one
single approach or “right answer” when thinking through thorny dilemmas.
Though each case discussant was given the same general parameters, you
will note that each analysis looks slightly different in form and content —
each illuminating different ethical issues and principles and using different
approaches to analysis.
Using their expertise and field experience, the case discussants were asked to:
» identify the key population/public health ethics issue(s) presented
in the case and why they are population/public health ethics issues;
» identify the key relevant information (i.e., biological, economic, social,
political, or ethical);
» assess knowledge gaps (i.e., what information is useful to know), as
well as the basis for these facts;
» identify the key stakeholders in the case and the most appropriate
decision maker(s) and/or legal authorities to approach the ethical issue,
if applicable;
» identify the key values and concerns of the identified stakeholder(s)
and any potential risks and benefits;
» identify the options available to the decision maker, including reasonable
alternative courses of action, and consideration of implications
and the potential intended and unintended outcomes; and
» suggest a resolution or decision to the case by choosing the supported
option, and justify this decision.
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