| Consultation activities of clinical ethics committees in the United Kingdom: an empirical study and wake-up call. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19734510 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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OBJECTIVE: To identify the consultation activities of clinical ethics committees (CECs) in the UK and the views of CEC chairpersons regarding such activities. METHODS: An anonymous, password-protected online questionnaire was sent by e-mail to 70 CEC chairpersons. The questionnaire contained 14 items. RESULTS: Of the 70 CECs contacted, 30 responded (a response rate of 43%). There has been an almost fourfold increase in the number of CECs in the past 7 years. Over half of the CECs that responded had considered three or fewer active cases and three or fewer retrospective cases in the preceding year. Eighty percent of chairpersons felt that the number of active cases considered by their committee was too low. Seventy percent of CECs had rapid response teams. Aside from low consultation caseloads, chairpersons identified a number of concerns, including education and training of members, composition of CECs, low profile and lack of funding and support. Although most respondents believed there is a need for clinical ethics support in the NHS, many noted the limited use of the services, even after efforts to increase the visibility of their CEC. CONCLUSION: Despite a sharp increase in the absolute numbers of CECs across the UK, the number of cases considered by the majority of CECs is low. The findings presented here suggest we must reflect on the reasons for such low caseloads and pause to consider whether the committee model is most appropriate for the UK context. |
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Authors:
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J M Whitehead; D K Sokol; D Bowman; P Sedgwick |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Postgraduate medical journal Volume: 85 ISSN: 1469-0756 ISO Abbreviation: Postgrad Med J Publication Date: 2009 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2009-09-07 Completed Date: 2010-01-21 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0234135 Medline TA: Postgrad Med J Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 451-4 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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St George's, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK. m0600174@sgul.ac.uk |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adult Attitude of Health Personnel Ethics Committees, Clinical / statistics & numerical data* Ethics Consultation / statistics & numerical data* Female Great Britain Humans Questionnaires State Medicine |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Postgrad Med J. 2009 Sep;85(1007):449-50
[PMID:
19734509
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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