Can quality from a care ethical perspective be assessed? A review

Abstract

Background: Ethics-of-care theories contain important notions regarding the quality of care; however, until now, concrete translations of the insights into instruments are lacking. This may be a result of the completely different type of epistemology, theories and concepts used in the field of quality of care research.

Objectives: Both the fields of 'ethics of care' and 'quality of care' aim for improvement of care; therefore; insights could possibly meet by focusing on the following question: How could ethics-of-care theories contribute to better quality in care at a measurement level? This study reviews existing instruments with the aim of bridging this gap and examines the evidence of their psychometric properties, feasibility and responsiveness.

Research design: A systematic search of the literature was undertaken using multiple electronic databases covering January 1990 through May 2012.

Method and findings: Of the 3427 unique references identified, 55 studies describing 40 instruments were selected. Using a conceptual framework, an attempt was made to distinguish between related concepts and to group available instruments measuring different types of concepts. A total of 13 instruments that reflect essential aspects of ethics-of-care theory were studied in greater detail, and a quality assessment was conducted.

Conclusion: Three promising qualitative instruments were found, which follow the logic of the patient and take their specific context into account.

Keywords: Ethics of care; instruments; quality of care; systematic review.