Case Consultation

If a patient's or client's situation poses ethical questions, uncertainties, or problems, our employees may request support by an ethics case consult.

What is an ethics consult?

An ethics consult is a structured, interprofessional case deliberation regarding a specific patient. The ethics consult is done within the patient's healthcare team, facilitated by a person external to the team.

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Standards for ethics consults

For an ethics consult, there are certain standards in place that maintain a high quality and ensure practicability within clinical routines.

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Ischemic stroke : ( CT of brain show cerebral infarction at left frontal - temporal - parietal lobe ) ( nervous system background )

An example

A woman has suffered a severe stroke and is admitted to the hospital. She is uncontious and cannot communicated with her environment. Her chances for rehabilitation are very limited. The patient's family is overwhelmed by this situation.

In such a case, an ethics consult may help in determining appropriate goals of care, investigating the patient's presumed will, deliberating about options of how to proceed, and making a sound, structured, transparent decision that is documented in the patient's record.