Clinical Ethics Consult Myth Busting

Myth

Clinical ethics consultants make complex decisions about clinical cases

Contributed by Dr. Nicholas Mercado, January 2025

Like other consultative services in the hospital, the clinical ethics consultation service provides recommendations. These recommendations are based on several factors:

1. Medical Indications – clinical ethics consultants review the patient’s medical record and speak with physicians, nursing staff, and other members of the interprofessional team to understand the patient’s medical condition.
2. Patient Preferences – clinical ethics consultants speak to the involved stakeholders and review relevant documentation to understand the patient’s preferences for treatment. 
3. Quality of Life – clinical ethics consultants evaluate the discussions and documentation to understand how patient defines their quality of life. 
4. Contextual Features – clinical ethics consultants acknowledge the biopsychosocial factors that have implications for patient care but might be non-modifiable at present. 

Ethics consultation recommendations are formalized and documented in the patient’s medical record. The clinical ethics consultant will follow-up with the patient, family, and healthcare team on these recommendations as needed. 

Reference

Jonsen, A. R., Siegler, M., & Winslade, W. J. (2022). Clinical ethics: A practical approach to ethical decisions in clinical medicine. (9^th ed.) McGraw Hill.