Creating an Ethics Committee at my Facility
Name
Institution
If you were forming an Ethics Committee at your facility, who would you want on the committee and why? What should committee members take into consideration when addressing ethical cases? Should the committee look at what is best for the organization or the individual?
An ethics committee is a group of selected professionals who deal with ethical issues that occur during patient care and assist in making sound decisions that respect patients’ concerns, interests, and values (Hajibabaee et al., 2016). If I were to form an ethics committee at my facility, I would incorporate physicians, nurses, attorneys, facility administrators, chaplains, and therapists. Within this combination, physicians, nurses, and therapists will represent the medical aspect of the committee, addressing all issues related to the therapeutic care of patients. The attorneys and the chaplains would be in charge of the legal and religious elements, respectively. The facility administrators will oversee the daily running of the committee. Essentially, this diversified representation is critical when creating ethical policies.
Ideally, the committee members should always consider three critical elements when dealing with ethical issues. First, they should assess and determine the nature of the issue, whether it is an ethical issue or an issue of professional practice. Secondly, they should determine the type of ethical issue they are faced with – whether it is a dilemma or a responsibility issue. Lastly, they should conduct a comprehensive and systematic decision-making procedure that eventually culminates to an ethical cause of action (Hajibabaee et al., 2016).
Importantly, the ethical cause of action adopted by the committee should be good for the individual and not the organization. Ethics committees are formed to ensure that always the right decision is taken during patient care (Hajibabaee et al., 2016). While this might enhance the reputation of the facility, maximum benefits are always to the patients, who receive appropriate and quality care.
References
Hajibabaee, F., Joolaee, S., Cheraghi, M. A., Salari, P., & Rodney, P. (2016). Hospital/clinical ethics committees’ notion: an overview. Journal of medical ethics and the history of medicine, 9.