title: Ethics committees and consultants.
abstract: The increasing complexity of healthcare creates numerous ethical challenges in patient care and in institutional functions and policies. During the past several decades, clinical ethics consultation services and institutional ethics committees have been developed to assist patients, medical professionals, and institutions in addressing ethical challenges. This chapter discusses the nature of clinical ethics consultation and the training of ethics consultants and committees. The authors review the experience at their institution (Mayo Clinic). Finally, the value of ethics consultation, as described in the medical literature, is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: C Christopher
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hook
authors.forename: Keith M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Swetz
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Mueller
mesh_terms: D026822:Ethicists; D017041:Ethics Committees; D004992:Ethics, Medical / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans
keywords: bioethics; ethics; ethics committees; ethics consultants; ethics consultation; ethics consults; medical ethics