What are ethics committees and what role do they play in hea

What are ethics committees and what role do they play in health care settings? Provide an example of a situation in which you would call a hospital ethicist to consult?

Solution

Ethics committee consists of individuals who oversee the formulation and implementation of policies in a manner that do not violate the code of ethics.

The role that such a committee play in health care settings is to see to the following:

1. patients should have autonomy i.e. right to make their own decision

2. the health care should have beneficence of patient in mind

3. there should never be an intention of maleficence. The health care should adhere to the ethical policy of doing no harm to the patients.

I would call a hospital ethicist is situations where i feel that the ethical principles are in danger of being compromised. For example in the maternity ward of the hospital, a female patient is ready for delivery. Her conditions are normal and she can go through a normal delivery. However, doctors recommend a C-section operation apparently for commercial purposes. The hospital ethicist can be consulted in this case to ensure a normal delivery.