Ethics Service Supports Clinicians
The Ethics Service offers assistance in addressing uncertainty, concerns, conflicts, questions or clarification on a variety of patient-related ethical issues that emerge in BWH’s complex care environment.
Any member of the multidiscipinary care team, patients, families and anyone involved in a patient’s care can request assistance from the Ethics Service. A call to the Ethics Service starts the process. “Even if you’re not sure you need a formal consultation, but have a query, we encourage you to call the Ethics Service,” Martha Jurchak, PhD, RN, director of the Ethics Service, said. “We’ll help you sort out whether you want a formal consultation or just talk through your concern.”
An informal discussion is always appropriate and is often a prelude to a full ethics consultation. An exchange of ideas and opinions with a member of the Ethics Service may be sufficient to answer questions and clarify concerns. This discussion is not considered a formal consultation but may help clarify and shape the questions for a full ethics consultation. Anyone with a question is encouraged to call the Ethics Service for advice and guidance even if a full consultation is not needed.
An ethics consultation is a structured process facilitated by two members of the Ethics Service that includes a meeting of all the involved parties to discuss the situation. The Ethics Service facilitates the discussion of the facts of the case, clarifies concepts and related issues, identifies options and helps the group make a decision. As consultants, the Ethics Service does not make decisions, but ensure that all the voices at the table are heard, the facts are known and questions are well articulated. The aim of the discussion is to reach a consensus decision among the family and treatment team on the focal issue.
Suzanne Lieberman, RN, nurse-in-charge on Tower 12D and a member of the Ethics Committee, emphasized that the Ethics Service supports care providers. “The Ethics Service can provide an objective voice in a difficult situation,” she said. “Sometimes we need an unbiased viewpoint removed from the situation to help us define the issue and reach a decision.”
When formal ethics consultations are requested, Jurchak recommends the attending physician on the case be informed as a professional courtesy.
To request a consultation or speak with a member of the Ethics Service about a query, page #18590. Members of the Ethics Service are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.