Clinical Ethics Consultation Service

Who are the Ethics Consultants? Tell us something about them?

• Michele A. Carter, Ph.D., Director, UTMB Institutional Ethics Program
• Ronald A. Carson, Ph.D.
• Larry D. Scott, M.D., M.A.
• William J. Winslade, Ph.D., J.D.
• Cheryl Vaiani, Ph.D.

What are some common ethical problems in health care?

Issues arise in modern health care that are complex and troubling for many, resulting in uncertainty or confusion about what course of action to take.

For example:

• How should health care practitioners resolve disagreements about a patient's "best interest" or "quality of life" assessments?
• Who should make health care decisions for patients when they are unable to communicate or decide for themselves?
• How are ethically sound decisions arrived at in the care of terminally ill patients?
• What constitutes an ethically valid informed consent process?
• How are conflicts regarding the duty to protect patient confidentiality effectively resolved?

What is an ethics consultation?

The UTMB Ethics Consultation Service facilitates discussion, analysis and understanding of ethical issues in patient care and research involving human subjects, and provides ethically appropriate recommendations for solving problems arising in health care practice and research.

Requesting an ethics consultation

The Ethics Consultation Service is available to physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and administrators. Every effort is made to preserve confidentiality. This service is provided by UTMB at no charge to the patient or department.

Ethics consultations can be initiated by contacting The Ethics Consultation Service at (409) 747-1230.

The Ethics Consultant

• Clarifies whether an ethical problem exists and identifies alternate resources for assistance with issues not relevent to ethics consultation,
• Facilitates discussion of ethical standards, obligations and professional responsibilities pertinent to patient care,
• Promotes a process of shared decision-making among the health care team and provides ethically appropriate recommendations when necessary,
• Communicates to appropriate individuals the relevant content of the consultation and any follow-up recommendations.