Ethical issues for academic participants in state-university collaboration programs.

Abstract

State-university collaboration programs often create ethical dilemmas for participants because of their conflicting values, goals, and expectations. Treatment and administrative staff in state agencies often seek to create an atmosphere of managed stability rather than fostering patients' autonomy. Academic participants in collaboration programs often feel impelled to change the system, even though the goal of collaboration requires them to find common ground with state agency staff. Academic participants must decide whether collaboration programs will contribute to needed reforms without overly compromising professional and academic standards. If they cannot endorse the values and quality of care provided in state systems, they must consider whether their participation should be conditioned on an agreement to work toward change. However, even in situations that are improving, clinicians must not let temporary compromises become permanent.