Review article
Bioethics Consultations
Iva Sorta-Bilajac
; School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
Healthcare Ethics Consultations (HEC) are a service provided by an individual or a group to help patients, families, surrogates, healthcare providers, or other involved parties address uncertainties or conflicts regarding value-laden issues which emerge in healthcare. They can be divided in two basic subgroups: clinical ethics consultations (CEC) (bioethics consultations) and organizational ethics consultations.
Bioethics consultations system recognizes three levels: ethics committee (work in larger groups, 12-15 members), team consultations (smaller counseling groups, such as ethics committees' subgroups, 3-4 members), individual consultation (face to face).
Individual bioethics consultant should possess specific knowledge and skills, (clinical) experience and “suitable character” (personal moral qualities). Numerous references indicate that physician should perform as a bioethics consultant. In such case recommendations should be easily accepted, with higher level of credibility among healthcare providers, having the same clinical experience and talking the same „clinical language“ as the physician - bioethics consultant. Namely, a physician is the one who understands best the moral dimension of the physician - patient relationship.
Bioethics consultations’ main purpose is the improvement of the provision of healthcare and its outcomes through the identification, analysis and resolution of ethical issues as they emerge in clinical cases in healthcare institutions. They represent a form of assurance that bioethical standards will be promoted and respected, aiming for the highest level of healthcare in a pluralistic value system.
Keywords
Clinical Ethics; Clinical Ethics Committees; Ethicists; Ethics Consultation
Hrčak ID:
26837
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2008.
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