Guider la pratique et la formation éthique des professionnels de la santé : établir les fondements du modèle de la déontologie réflexive (MDR)

If the competency approach seems to be particularly valorised in Canada and in the United States for orienting the practice of health care professionals (HCP) – and in clinical bioethics – material that could provide with a better understanding of the psychological, ontological and philosophical foundations of these competencies seems rather limited in the bioethical literature. The tools that are generally available can be divided into four main categories: 1) official documents (e.g., code of ethics, institutional policies); 2) the main ethical theories (e.g., virtue ethics, theories of justice, principlism); 3) scientific references (e.g., journals, books); 4) decision-making tools. These documents are important for bioethicists and HCPs, but their disparities and even contradictions, coupled with poor knowledge in professional ethics, may be a significant source of confusion in the decision making process and even lead to behaviour that does not meet the ethical standards of HCP. This thesis is an upstream reflection regarding these tools, whose pragmatic character has the disadvantage of simplifying theoretical reflection at the benefit of more concrete evidence useful for practical decision making. This project aims at developing the foundations for a flexible and inclusive model – a model of deontological reflexivity (MDR) – that will: 1) present the main philosophical, psychological, sociological and deontological landmarks characterising ethical issues encountered in practice; 2) understand, from a psychological and developmental perspective, the personal and professional requirements inherent to the status of the health care professional in the current context of health care. A theoretical enterprise, this project primarily consists in relating, in a dynamic manner, a variety of dimensions (legal, ethical, clinical, psychological) at work in complex ethical situations encountered by HCPs and bioethicists, inspired by the concept of ethical sensitivity, the “petite éthique” of Paul Ricoeur (1990), the self theory along with Blasi's Identity modes (Blasi, 1993). The analysis process will consist in three successive phases: 1) a putting into perspective of the bioethicist's and HCPs’ epistemological posture in light of the “petite éthique” of Paul Ricoeur (1990); 2) an interdisciplinary literature review of “ethical sensitivity” in order to propose a definition of the concept and place it into perspective with other ethical competencies; 3) the development of a framework regarding professional ethics iv and identity (professional ethics identity tendencies, PEIT), inspired both by the self theory and Blasi's Identity modes. These PEITs provide a normative benchmark related to the construction of identity in the health care context and suggest some innovative avenues for professional ethics research and education. This research wish to elaborate the theoretical foundations that will be utilised further in the future to develop the model of deontological reflexivity (MDR).

Keyphrases: MDR, Professional ethics, Bioethics, Moral development, Theoretical framework, Education, Health care professionals, Bioethicists, Professional deontology, Model of deontological reflexivity, Blasi