[Hospital committees of ethics]

Hospital ethics committees have arisen in response to the serious moral dilemmas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in medical practice. This article outlines the historical development of such committees by reviewing some celebrated cases and also categorizes the committees as ethical-praxeological, legal-scientific, or deontological-technical, according to their functions and structure. In addition, a description is given of the establishment of interdisciplinary committees in several health institutions in Argentina that deal with teaching, research, and consultation related to decision-making involving moral questions; case study and clinical ethics protocols; analysis of the relationship between health professionals and patients; and other related topics. Finally, based on their own experience in this field and knowledge of models employed in other countries, the authors offer theoretical, methodological, and administrative recommendations for the establishment of ethics committees.