Are hospital ethics committees really necessary?

Ethics committees are crucial at this point in the history of medicine. They serve as a forum where various ethical issues can be raised, discussed, critically examined, and "where a number of disciplines come together to examine the implications of contemporary medicine upon life." If ethics committees are to be helpful, there must be realistic expectations and accurate descriptions of their functions. This writer, along with most others, would conclude that ethics committees should in no way be involved in the actual decision-making process. Rather, the IEC should involve itself only through educational offerings, policy development, and voluntary consultation at the request of a provider or a patient. This type of committee will avoid certain pitfalls which could compound the process of decision making and very possibly not be of benefit to the patient. The decision-making process belongs to the physician and the patient, not to an ethics committee.