Empathy-Based Ethics in Medical Practice

Abstract

The application of the empathy-based ethical approach in clinical practice is examined in three scenarios. Helen’s story is described, firstly as a patient with advanced lung cancer receiving hospital-based treatment, then her story is retold with her general practitioner taking a key role in co-ordinating her care. The second case, Peter, is a man with advanced pancreatic cancer who is dying at home. He asks his general practitioner “Will you help me to die, please?” Empathy-based ethics provides a way of responding to a request for euthanasia in a humane and moral way. In the third scenario, the role of the empathy-based approach is examined with reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, looking at the differences between ethical approaches focused on individuals and public health concerns. A relational empathic approach to ethics, acknowledging our interconnection, vulnerability and shared humanity is appropriate to meet the moral challenges of the pandemic.