Maryland hospitals get plan for creating ethics committees

The Maryland Hospital Association's Advisory Committee on Medical Ethics, charged to assist member hospitals in forming ethics committees, focused on four concerns: study and development, physician support, patient/family participation, and potential issues. The committee recommended as a first step in establishing an ethics committee the creation of a study group. It warned hospitals not to expect a fully operational ethics committee immediately. A start-up period, according to the committee, should be used to develop a process for handling ethical questions and for educating the hospital community about the committee's role. To promote the best possible decision making, the hospital ethics committee should function as a support unit, for physicians as well as for patients, families, and hospital personnel. Clearly stated policies will provide a basis for appropriate intervention and help gain physician cooperation, the committee said. Such policies should encourage ethics committees to anticipate problems and to review decisions already made. While recognizing the need to involve patients' families in decision making, the advisory group agreed that the question of their presence at committee meetings should be addressed by each institution. In cases of controversial treatment or disagreement about the course of treatment, patient/family access to the committee should be clearly defined. The advisory committee suggested that each institution prepare its own list of topics that an ethics committee might consider. It also prepared a "model statement" of an ethics committee's purposes, membership, and procedures.