Point and counterpoint. Should HECs involved in case review have a healthcare ethics consultant?
What level of bioethics expertise (1) must an HEC involved in case review have to ensure full discussion of the complexities of cases in an emotionally supportive manner, and to educate healthcare professionals about relevant moral aspects of these cases? Is there a necessary level of bioethics expertise required to ensure that discussions of ethics are sensitive to relevant community values as well as to legal context and constraints? In this article, three positions are explored: one requiring a healthcare ethics consultant, one arguing that some level of training of all committee members is adequate, and another which claims that multidisciplinarity and community representation without specific education is sufficient.
Burgess
M M
MM
Office of Medical Bioethics, University of Calgary.
Flagler
E A
EA
Dalla-Longa
V A
VA
D002170:Canada; D003253:Consultants; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D026724:Ethical Review; D026822:Ethicists; D017041:Ethics Committees / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D028741:Ethics Committees, Clinical; D033061:Ethics Consultation; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication