The diagram below provides a framework for examining ethical issues individually or as a group. Following this process will help you organize the facts and contextual paramaters of the dilemma, so that you can look at the situation objectively and choose a course of action based on logic rather than emotions. Select each step to learn more about it.

Step 6: Find Common Ground Ethical dilemmas can lead to disputes about the correct path of action, especially in interprofessional team settings involving differing values and points of view. Clear communication with patients, families, team members, and others is essential for resolving ethical disputes. Strategies for conflict resolution may include: Collaboration: The optimal approach is to build consensus through the mutual evaluation of information and active identification of each party's interests. Compromise: If all parties are morally certain about their position, but also committed to preserving the relationship, each may be able to find acceptable trade-offs. Accommodation: One party may simply agree to another's position. This approach is sometimes used as a tool in negotiation as a concession to imply reciprocal action. Coercion: A controlling, often aggressive and competitive approach, which discounts differing moral perspectives. This approach can generate a power imbalance and can damage the self-esteem of the coerced party. For emergencies only! Avoidance: Health practitioners should consciously guard against the tendency to evade resolution of moral dilemmas.