Ethical practice in pediatric palliative care teams : second order care ; La pratique éthique des soins palliatifs pédiatriques en équipe ressource : le care de second ordre

Abstract

Following the French national strategy to develop palliative care promulgated in 2010, several regional pediatric palliative care teams have been implemented nationwide. Our work will present a fundamental ethical concept, which we call "second order care".The primary mission of these teams is to integrate a palliative approach in all areas of health care, and they are especially dedicated to assisting health care professionals. For "second order care teams", this entails advising and supporting "first order care teams" who directly provide for patients in palliative care. However, the daily practice of these second order care teams reveals underlying ethical tensions between the principle of justice which created these teams initially (palliative care must be available to all patients in need of such care) and the ethics of care (importance placed upon the singularity of each situation). In order to resolve these ethical tensions, we used a qualitative methodology known as "participant objectivation".Second order care implies an ethical practice combining one's disposition, outlook and activities, which are acquired by voluntary thought movements. The ethical aim of second order carers, with the help of inductive empathy, must be to assist first order carers in being autonomous in identifying and managing their own needs. Using clinical narratives, the second order team must adapt and harmonize the different temporalities in play: that of the patient, of their family and of the first order care team. Ultimately, second order care implies a major paradigm shift: to consider our inter-dependence in place of an illusionary autonomy. The concept of second order care, which can be extrapolated to other teams with identical missions, is a necessary contribution when considering the modernization of our health care system. ; Les équipes ressources régionales de soins palliatifs pédiatriques ont été créées en France, en 2010 dans le cadre d'une politique nationale de développement des soins palliatifs. Mon travail ...