Manning P, Smith D
Bon Secours Health System, Bon Secours Hospital, Glasnevin, Dublin.
Ir Med J. 2002 Feb;95(2):54-5.
In the Republic of Ireland the establishment of Clinical Ethics Committees (CECs) are relatively new. The need for such committees has occurred due to the fact that the consideration of ethical issues in healthcare has become an important and frequent part of discussions by individuals and institutions. A number of factors have contributed to this growth of ethical considerations. The Bon Secours Health System (BSHS) decided to establish a CEC and appointed a co-ordinating team to draw up terms of reference for such a committee. During this process the co-ordinating team drew on the experience of other countries and of its own staff. Potential criticisms of how such a committee would function were examined. A representative membership of the CEC was also arrived at. The following functions were identified for a CEC: the need to provide a mechanism for the identification, discussion and resolution of medical ethical issues; the need to identify medical ethical issues which may create challenges to the health system and to monitor the responses of the health system to these areas, and the provision of education. Policy development was seen as a primary function of the CEC. Ethical case review also emerged as one area of potential involvement by the CEC. During the staff consultation a large number of ethical issues emerged which the staff requested the CEC to address. A methodology necessary for coping with the differences within the BSHS was developed by the CEC. It is evident that CECs are here to stay and how they develop and function will have an impact on the quality of healthcare.
在爱尔兰共和国，临床伦理委员会（CECs）的设立相对较新。设立此类委员会的需求源于医疗保健中的伦理问题考量已成为个人和机构讨论中重要且频繁的一部分。有诸多因素促成了伦理考量的这种发展。博纳·塞库尔医疗系统（BSHS）决定设立一个临床伦理委员会，并任命了一个协调小组来起草该委员会的职权范围。在此过程中，协调小组借鉴了其他国家及其自身工作人员的经验。对这样一个委员会将如何运作的潜在批评也进行了审视。临床伦理委员会的代表性成员构成也确定了下来。临床伦理委员会的以下职能被确定：需要提供一个识别、讨论和解决医学伦理问题的机制；需要识别可能给医疗系统带来挑战的医学伦理问题，并监测医疗系统对这些领域的应对情况，以及提供教育。政策制定被视为临床伦理委员会的一项主要职能。伦理案例审查也成为临床伦理委员会可能参与的一个领域。在员工咨询期间，出现了大量员工要求临床伦理委员会解决的伦理问题。临床伦理委员会制定了一种应对博纳·塞库尔医疗系统内部差异所需的方法。很明显，临床伦理委员会将会持续存在，其发展和运作方式将对医疗保健质量产生影响。
