Ethics Committees: Team Perspectives and Organizational Responses

摘要

Heajthcre ethics committees were nearly nonexistent in the 1960s and 1970s but have increased in response to advancements in medical tech- nologies and public controversies surrounding medical care (Aulisio, 2016). A 2007 national survey found that ethics consultation services existed in 81% of general hospitals in the United States and 100% of hospitals with greater than 400 beds (Fox, Myers, & Pearlman, 2007). Based on the survey, it was recommended that standards be introduced for ethics consultation practice. Core competencies for healthcare ethics consultation published by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities include guidelines for evaluating healthcare ethics services (ASBH, 2011). The Catholic Health Association (CHA) of the United States has published recommendations for ethics services in the context of Catholic healthcare organizations (CHA, 2014) as a means to "reaffirm the ethical standards of behavior in health care that flow from the Church's teaching about the dignity of the human person" (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2009, p. 2). Both organizations are concerned that the processes of conducting ethics consultation and education be recognized as of equal importance to the principles of ethics.