Publication Date:
2015-03-19
Description:
Pragmatism, as a philosophical option, is concerned with end results and argues that "all our thought-distinctions, however subtle, demand a possible difference of practice." 1 Physicians calculate daily the best plan of action for each patient, following some pragmatic rules: only taking into account different strategies when they lead to different results, the personal effort and moral risks are considered, and if of equal outcome and cost, the strategy that best preserves clinical safety and moral values. The purpose of this study is not to clarify the content of philosophical pragmatism, but to observe how it is applied in clinical decisions and what difficulties arise. We propose a paediatric case to illustrate this process: Dr Seel has just been visited by a 3 year old boy affected by earache. Dr Seel thinks the boy has otitis, because the eardrum was bulging and slightly red, and Dr Seel is aware...
Print ISSN:
0143-005X
Electronic ISSN:
1470-2738
Topics:
Medicine
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