L'approche par les capabilités : sa contribution aux pratiques soignantes

Healthcare ethics has known, for almost half a century, a boom: schools of thought have multiplied and diversified. In this paper, we present and analyze the capability approach initiated in the 1980s by the economist Amartya Sen. The philosopher Martha Nussbaum is one of the best known figures in the field. This approach seems particularly relevant to promote a healthcare that focuses “on the abilities of people to achieve goals they consider important”. The approach reconciles individual liberties with the requirement of equality among citizens. The text consists of four parts. The first, historical, makes a quick overview of the development of ethics in health care and highlights limits of these currents. The second part shows how the capability approach, already existing in other areas of social life, has been seen as a helpful tool to address health issues in different communities. The third part presents the capabilities as conceived by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Finally, the fourth part discusses the behavior that this approach requires from the caregivers. The conclusion highlights the originality of the contribution of the capability approach in the world of health care.