Evidence-Based, Ethical Decision-Making: Using Simulation to Teach the Application of Evidence and Ethics in Practice.

Abstract

Evidence-based practice and ethics should not be taught as isolated concepts. Instead, it is imperative to prepare students with the knowledge needed to practice ethical, evidence-based decision-making in health care. The purpose of this project was to describe how a mock hospital ethics committee meeting impacted students' learning about the use of evidence to support ethical decision-making in health care. A mock hospital ethics committee was convened for 121 students from schools of nursing, social work, law, and medicine. Thematic content analysis showed a positive impact on nursing students' learning of ethics, group dynamics, discipline-specific responsibilities, and EBP. This interprofessional education experience showed students how evidence and ethics can be used to guide and support practice priorities, responsibilities, and decisions on resource utilization and treatment to enable optimal outcomes for patients and organizations.