Ethical issues in health care institutions. Lesson 2: Ethical considerations in group decision making and groupthink.

In this second lesson of a five-part WMU/AHRA magazine course on ethics, Dr. Alie tackles an interesting concept--group-think. According to the author, this tendency occurs when cohesive groups lose their ability to critically evaluate alternatives in problem solving. Since groups such as committees or task forces frequently resolve issues and make policy in health care organizations, warning signs of this phenomenon are detailed as well as suggestions to help avoid the problem.