Launching a Living Ethics Initiative to Explore Patients' Psychological Distress in a Highly Specialized Interdisciplinary Care Clinic

Bibliographic Data

ID4640104
AuthorsBénédicte D’anjou (Montreal Clinical Research Institute), Katherine Desjardins (Montreal Clinical Research Institute), Julie Ianniruberto (Montreal Clinical Research Institute), Danielle Méthot (Montreal Clinical Research Institute), Valérie Poulin (0009-0008-5359-8938, Montreal Clinical Research Institute), Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret (Montreal Clinical Research Institute), Rémi Rabasa‐Lhoret (0000-0003-4706-5170, Montreal Clinical Research Institute), E Racine (0000-0001-8306-551X, Montreal Clinical Research Institute, corresponding author)
Year2025
Pages10497323251353435-10497323251353435
Publication date2025-07-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Health Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1049-7323 • E-ISSN: 1552-7557
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/10497323251353435
PMID40681481
OpenAlexW4412521720
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited54

Ethical issues are often difficult to discuss openly in clinical settings. However, silence can be detrimental to both patients and healthcare providers, and may impede improvements in clinical practices. In this paper, we report on the initial process of launching a living ethics initiative to identify, explore, and address a relevant ethical issue-that is, unaddressed psychological distress among people living with a rare or complex chronic disease-with the staff and patients of a highly specialized interdisciplinary care clinic in Montreal (Canada). Although previous research has addressed psychological distress, few studies have taken a participatory qualitative research and ethics approach, integrating the perspectives of both patients and healthcare providers. This paper specifically outlines the initial phases of a five-phase living lab project, from identifying the issue to exploring stakeholders' understanding of the problem. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and clinic staff, followed by a qualitative content analysis that relied on deductive and inductive coding strategies. Overall, our study sheds light on the concept of psychological distress, causes of patients' psychological distress, consequences of patients' psychological distress, mitigating factors of patients' psychological distress, management of patients' psychological distress within a given healthcare environment, and potential avenues for improvement. By creating an ethical space where patients and healthcare providers could reflect on and discuss this issue, this initiative has not only deepened our understanding of patients' psychological distress but has also initiated a paradigm shift in this clinical setting, recognizing that patients' psychological distress is a fundamental human issue that concerns everyone

Distress · Mental health · Psychological distress · Psychotherapist · Ethics in medical practice · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology

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