title: Ethics consultation.
abstract: This article comprehensively addresses the composition, role, and functions of a hospital ethics committee (HEC). HECs are of particular interest to critical care specialists because they often participate in or lead such committees, extending their commitment to communication and caring beyond the borders of the intensive care unit (ICU). This article also demonstrates that a well-run ICU in a hospital with a strong HEC automatically will include many of the services that the HEC normally would provide, without the need for HEC assistance.
authors.affiliation: Theology Department and the Center for Health Care Ethics, Duquesne University, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hoyt
mesh_terms: D032802:Committee Membership; D003422:Critical Care; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D026822:Ethicists; D017041:Ethics Committees / Q000458:organization & administration*; D028741:Ethics Committees, Clinical; D033061:Ethics Consultation; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D033241:Lawyers; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011996:Records; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014481:United States; D028761:Withholding Treatment