Good Ethics Listening for Chaplains (and Others)

I have already pointed to the Center for Practical Bioethics as a good resource on matters of biomedical ethics.  There is a good deal of information on their web site, and some good ideas and discussion at the blog, Practical Bioethics.

 

Today I want to point to another resource they offer: The Bioethics Channel.  The Bioethics Channel offers a series of podcasts with interviews on a variety of bioethics issues.  Most are brief – fifteen minutes or less – and offer thoughts and opinions from experts both within and beyond the Center.

 

As a chaplain, I was interested in the recent podcast, “Religion and Medicine: Compatible?”  Two physician ethicists, Drs. Farr Curlin and John Lantos, gave their thoughts about why physicians should be sensitive to the interactions of spiritual and medical concerns among their patients, and how they might learn about them.  Their concern is not to obviate or displace chaplains or other religious professionals.  Instead, they appreciate how important spiritual issues and beliefs can be for patients, and how those beliefs might impact a patient’s understanding of and compliance with health care.  Thus, their interest is in how awareness of and sensitivity to spiritual concerns of their patients might improve doctor-patient relationships and, by supporting a more effective partnership, patient satisfaction and outcomes.

 

So, take a look at the Bioethics Channel, and see what you find there of interest.  It’s an opportunity for some continuing education and intellectual stimulation that is relevant to chaplains and others interested in health care ethics.