Rapid development of medicine and current medical and healthcare practice raises plenty of different issues, including legal and ethical. Doctors and other healthcare workers sometimes find it hard to address a particular problem, as many different opinions exist. Therefore, they need a body that will be capable to resolve complex issues and take prompt actions. The USA and a number of other developed nations that aim to promote human rights and justice found it necessary to establish such committees to consult the interested parties regarding the ethical and legal issues. However, its functions are not limited only to this.
Modern healthcare ethics committees in the USA are useful for many various purposes. Doctors may address such bodies seeking for help in making decisions. The service is provided in the form of consultation on the basis of evaluation of the possible consequences of every decision. Moreover, such committees may offer a practical way of doing the right thing, if a doctor, or any healthcare worker, finds it hard to decide how something should be done. Healthcare ethics committees may observe practical implementation of the reached solution and make corrections along the way. It is extremely important for the committee to get assurance that the right decision was implemented in a correct way and without any trouble.
Healthcare ethics committee also deals with further claims from people who may doubt the rightness of the doctor’s decision. It is responsible for the provision of solid arguments justifying or condemning the actions of the person in charge. In especially difficult cases, healthcare ethics committee seeks for consensus. It helps parties to find peace and agree upon the issue, as any disagreement may be reflected in serious conflicts and confrontation between the healthcare establishments the party concerned. Healthcare ethics committee seeks to provide a forum for any arising disputes regarding ethics and solve them.
In addition, the healthcare ethics committees also fulfill a number of administrative functions. It may develop and distribute guidelines regarding the ethical policy of the medical establishment which can help in seeking for solutions for some simple cases. Such committees may hold regular meetings where they discuss the main challenges and tasks regarding ethics at the workplace. Healthcare workers may be invited to trainings and courses that may enhance ethical and legal coherence in the medical establishment. Members of the committee should have recognized authority and good conflict resolution skills to operate upon the decision wisely. Some of its representatives may occupy high positions in the medical institution and have sufficient experience to rule the decision (McLean, 2007).
References
McLean, Sheila. (2007). What and Who Are Clinical Ethics Committees For? Journal of Medical Ethics, 33(9), 497-500. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2080817/
