Question


5. How would this case have been different if the attending physician had been the one asking for an ethics consultation

Answer 1

Ans) Limiting treatment of critically ill patients, including removal of life support, is the most common reason for ethics consultations in ICUs at CUMC, and the majority of consultations involve end-of-life discussions.

- As such, guidance from physicians and ethics consultants is critically important to the emotional well-being of families who struggle with these decisions. The hectic pace of an ICU with its chronic shortage of time for communicating with families; frequent turnover of attending physicians, fellows and residents; and the inexperience of many of the young physicians in dealing with end-of-life issues all contribute to the need for ethics consultants who have the time and experience to help physicians deal with ethically complex issues and distraught families.

- As medical technology becomes ever more sophisticated and physicians become ever more specialized, the need for medical ethics consultations in the ICU will almost certainly continue to increase.

- Ourethics consultation service has seen an increase in requests. This increase in ethics consultant-physician interaction is interpreted as a positive outcome of the mandatory policy at CUMC.

- The mandatory ethics consultation policy has possibly increased exposure to ethics consultant-physician interactions, increased learning for physicians, and raised awareness among physicians and nurses of potential ethics assistance.