Communication Problems in Cases Addressed by Clinical Ethics Conferences

Abstract

In the clinical ethics conference, individual cases are examined as problems to be addressed in a clinical setting. Various types of conflict over care policy are found in each case among the persons concerned–patients, their family members, and care providers–caused by differences of concept or practice of care, basic values, etc. Since these conflicts mostly arise in the form of communication problems, this article classifies some patterns of conversation model, analyzes the structure of the relationship among those concerned, and considers major points. By focusing on the mechanism of individual communication problems, a basic concept of the coping process is proposed.