Refining and implementing the Tavistock principles for everybody in health care. Commentary: Justice in health care- a response to Tavistock

The ethicist Will Gaylin argued that healthcare reform often fails because it attempts technical solutions to ethical problems. Agreeing with this position, the Tavistock Group tried to develop ethical principles that might be useful to everybody involved in health care. They were intended for those who are responsible for the healthcare system, those who work in it, and those who use it. This article describes the origins of the principles, discusses the thinking behind them, considers how they might be used, provides case studies, and reflects on where the venture might go now. (September 15, 2001)