ABSTRACT
Introduction: At first glance, human and (companion animal) veterinary medicine share challenging processes in end-of-life (EOL) decision-making. At the same time, treatment options in both professions are substantially different. The potential of an interdisciplinary exchange between both fields has been neglected by empirical research so far. Methods: In this qualitative study, professionals from both fields were brought together in interdisciplinary focus groups to investigate the ethical aspects of convergences and divergences in EOL situations in human and veterinary medicine. The authors present and discuss an innovative mix of materials and methods as stimuli for discussion and for generating hypotheses. Results: The results point toward a general convergence of issues, challenges, and judgements in EOL situations in both fields, such as professional ethos, communication with the family and the role thereof as well as the ideals of death, clearly exceeding the expectations of study participants. At the same time, the study highlights a few prominent differences such as the access to patients' preferences or legal and practical constraints. Discussion: The findings suggest that using social science methods in empirical interdisciplinary biomedical-veterinary ethics could help to shed more light on this new area. Animal as well as human patients can potentially benefit from this mutual, scientifically accompanied exchange and the resulting identification and corrections of misconceptions.
ABSTRACT
La propuesta de actividades con un enfoque interdisciplinario forma parte de un conjunto de recomendaciones que se realizan como parte del perfeccionamiento del trabajo científico metodológico de las referidas disciplinas. Estas se han puesto en práctica en la formación de los residentes de Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas en los cursos 2012-2013 y 2013-2014. Estas actividades se orientan en clases y su concepción se realiza desde la preparación metodológica colectiva e individual que realizan los docentes de estas disciplinas, lo que garantiza su carácter interdisciplinario e integrador en el tratamiento de los contenidos. Como resultado de la puesta en práctica de las referidas actividades se constató su contribución en el cumplimiento de los objetivos de la formación del especialista y la aplicación integrada de los conocimientos, métodos y modos de actuación y la posibilidad de revelar las relaciones interdisciplinarias. Para construir el marco teórico y diseñar las actividades se utilizaron diversos métodos del nivel teórico sobre la base del método dialéctico materialista. Asimismo, para valorar su pertinencia se utilizó el método prospectivo Conexo en dictámenes de peritos, especialistas o expertos, el cual, constituye un procedimiento lógico para sintetizar y valorar los resultados de la consulta a un grupo de especialistas, a los cuales se les presentó la propuesta. De acuerdo con los rangos definidos se pudo comprobar que existente concordancia en los criterios emitidos por los especialistas, lo cual indica que realizaron un análisis racional de la propuesta presentada, garante de la objetividad del resultado.
The proposal of activities with an interdisciplinary focus is part of a group of recommendations that you/they are carried out like part of the improvement of the methodological scientific work of those referred disciplines. The same ones have put into practice in the formation of the residents of Biomedical Basic Sciences in the Courses 2012 - 2013 and 2013 - 2014. These activities are guided in classes and their conception is carried out from the collective methodological preparation and singular that carry out the educational of these disciplines, what guarantees its interdisciplinary and integrative character in the treatment of the contents. As a result of the setting in practice of the referred activities their contribution was verified in the execution of the objectives of the specialist's formation and the integrated application of the knowledge, methods and performance ways and the possibility of revealing the interdisciplinary relationships. To build the theoretical mark and to design the activities diverse methods of the theoretical level they were used on the base of the materialistic dialectical method. Also, to value their relevancy the prospective method it was used Related in experts' verdicts, specialists or experts; the one which, it constitutes a logical procedure to synthesize and to value the results from the consultation to a group of specialists, to which were presented the proposal. In accordance with the defined ranges could be proven that existent agreement in the approaches emitted by the specialists, that which indicates that they carried out a rational analysis of the presented proposal, guarantor of the objectivity of the result.
