A survey of Louisiana hospital ethics committees

To obtain a picture of hospital ethics committees (HECs) in the State of Louisiana. Compare results to other published studies. Gauge interest and participation in HECs by otolaryngologists.

Mail in questionnaire to all hospitals in Louisiana. Minisurvey distributed to randomly selected otolaryngologists.

A questionnaire was mailed to the 194 hospitals identified by the Louisiana State Hospital Association. Questions included the presence and description of HECs plus the demographic data for the hospitals.

Eighty-eight hospitals returned the survey. A HEC was present in 69. Membership was most often multidisciplinary. The annual growth rate ranged from 1.7% to 6%-8%. Teaching hospitals and larger hospitals tended to have a higher frequency rate of HECs. Like most US HECs, this state's committee primary functions included case consultation, education, and policy review. About 30% of otolaryngologists surveyed had some experience with a HEC.

Louisiana's HEC construction and function appear similar to those committees found in other US hospitals. Membership is multidisciplinary. The three major functions are education, policy development and case consultation. Larger institutions tend to have a higher frequency of HECs. The growth rate of HECs increased in the early 1990s. As the ethical issues in contemporary medicine become more complex, especially with technological advances, HECs can anticipate constant new challenges. Future direction may focus on the evaluation of how well HECs function and on how improvements can be made.