[The clinical ethic committee: aims, structure, and tasks of clinical ethics]

Advances in medical technology as well as developments in society as a whole, such as the scarcity of resources in the healthcare system or the so-called "Pflegenotstand," increasingly require a professional approach to ethical issues in patient care. Therefore, more and more hospitals develop ethical structures. In the US, this development goes back to the 1960s. In Germany, it started about 30 years later. Essentially, clinical ethics intend to promote the possibilities of a qualified exchange on ethical subjects in everyday care. It covers more than only the support of solving ethical conflicts that may arise in the care of individual patients. In addition, the corresponding organizational structures are taken into account. The structural implementation of clinical ethics often takes place by clinical ethic committees. Key tasks include the clinical ethics consultation, training, and the development of ethical policies and their organizational penetration. In this way, clinical ethics can help make ethical negotiation an integral part of the corporate culture.This article presents the core tasks of clinical ethics and the resulting implementation options. In addition, it places a special emphasis on the importance of organizational relationships.