Will the "Conscience of an Institution" Become Society's Servant?

Abstract

Now that ethics committees are firmly established in a majority of\nU.S. hospitals (60%, according to recent surveys), attention is shifting to\nthe roles they play and the problems they face. Administrative concerns focus\non secretarial and staff support and the difficulty that busy committee\nmembers have in fitting in consultations. The three main categories of\ncommittee endeavor are education, policy development, and consultation. \nEmerging social issues such as care of the uninsured or indigent, organ\nprocurement, and patient care vs. economic constraints are new areas for\npolicy development, while the trend in consultation is toward on-call or\ninformal consults in place of periodic meetings involving all committee\nmembers. Although committee members see their roles as discussants and\nfacilitators of consensus, there is some concern that the committees'\nrecommendations may be followed despite patient or family opposition. (KIE\nabstract)