VLAssociates | Ethics Consultation

Ethics Consultation and Education

Dr. Lachman's focus in the University of Pennsylvania Bioethics Program was on organizational ethics and ethical dilemmas at end-of-life. Her final project utilized a survey, interviews and focus groups to determine opportunities for improvement in end-of-life/palliative care. Multiple recommendations were given to the organization, including an educational focus, as well as protocol, policy and structural changes. Dr. Lachman is also a certified trainer for ELNEC and EPEC curriculum -- an end-of-life training developed through Robert Wood Johnson Grants for physicians and nurses. Her book, Applied Ethics in Nursing, is designed to give practicing and student nurses an easily understandable guide to the everyday ethical dilemmas they may face.

Examples of her presentation and consultation focus in end-of-life include the following:

Coordinating and/or Teaching ELNEC or EPEC Curriculum
Supporting Staff Advocacy in Cases of Futility
Effectively Communicating "Bad News"
Increasing Awareness of End-of-Life Cultural Issues
Withholding and Withdrawing of Treatment: Ethical Issues
Ethical Issues in Managed Care
Ethical Issues in Transplantation
Ethical Issues in Psychiatry
Strategies for Managing Moral Distress in Nursing

Examples of her presentation and consultation focus on organizational ethics include the following:

Managing Disruptive Physicians
Creating a Process to Manage Employee Substance Abuse
Resource Allocation: "Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"
The Margin and Mission Balancing Act
Identifying and Addressing Conflict of Interests at Board and Administrative Levels
Creating Organizational Supports for Ethical Behavior
Human Resource Ethical Issues: Hiring to Firing