Abstract:
The authors of this study advocate for the contribution a double ethic of hospitality
and engagement can make towards the ethical care of healthcare workers. Their
contribution is based on two studies in healthcare. The South African case outlines
challenges with regard to resources, communication and expectations. The Belgium
case study draws attention to the traditional approach and suggests a new paradigm,
namely to respect the patient as subject and therefore the importance of meeting the
patient in his/her situation. Both cases sensitise the reader to the ethical vulnerability
of the healthcare worker suggesting that a double ethic of hospitality and engagement
is needed to address this challenge. The question of ethical coaching is addressed via a
real life example in which the healthcare workers are placed in a simulation laboratory
and then treated as “patients” by other healthcare workers. This simulation gives insight
into the real needs of patients and how healthcare workers should care for them.
