Ethics committees in small hospitals.
Ethics committees at small hospitals confront most of the same ethical dilemmas present at large hospitals, but must usually deal with them with fewer resources and less access to recognized expertise. Nonetheless small hospital committees can function effectively in the areas of education, policy deliberation, and case consultation. The development of ethics committees at two small Vermont hospitals is described, noting some of the problems associated with smallness and making suggestions about how to surmount them.
D004989:Ethics; D004991:Ethics, Institutional; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006743:Hospital Bed Capacity, under 100; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011367:Professional Staff Committees / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014707:Vermont