Question
What is the RIPS model in ethics?
Answer
Realm-Individual Process-Situation
- Realm – where the decision is made
- Individual Process – elements of ethical behavior
- Situation – scenario in need of ethical action
- Offers a framework for making ethical decision in a systematic way
- Takes into account various influences on clinicians
The RIPS model is the fancy acronym for the Realm-Individual Process and Situation. The RIPS model is the framework for ethical decision-making. It helps us bring objectivity to a very subjective scenario. The realm is where the decisions are made, the individual process is the elements of the ethical behavior, and the situation is the scenario in need of ethical action. It considers various influences on the clinician, internal and external factors. It might be that the patient is internal and the insurance company is external. Again, it allows us to collect objective data to a very subjective scenario. The realm is the piece of the framework for decisions, focusing on the individual's good, reflecting in most areas the patient. However, the realm can be the clinician or the department manager. It also can focus on the organization and the institution. It is your hospital, ethics board, and board of directors. It likewise focuses on society as a whole. The mass rollout of vaccines, a superb example, accessible insurance, is another excellent example of society's realm impact. The individual is the least complex part of the realm, society being the most complex, intricate, multiple moving parts.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Ethics in Crisis, presented by Chris Bratton II, JD, L.L.M, and Katie O’Shea, physical therapist, DPT, MBA, GCS, CDP, CCRP.
