Beyond Open Communication: A Call for Partnership Between Clinical Ethics and Research Ethics Committees

摘要

In proposing strategies to improve access to and quality of research ethics consultation (REC) services, call for “open communication” between REC and clinical ethics consultation (CEC) services. The authors believe this proposal provides a means for addressing ethical issues occurring at the intersection of research and clinical care, as well as an opportunity for REC services to learn from quality improvement strategies of CEC services. We agree with the premises of this suggestion, yet propose that direct partnership, rather than simply open communication, between REC and CEC services can provide further benefits, including protecting patient-subjects, improving the quality of research ethics consultations, and increasing the visibility of REC services.