Aroskar M A
AORN J. 1984 Jul;40(1):88-92. doi: 10.1016/s0001-2092(07)69423-x.
As patient advocates, nurses are in an excellent position to stimulate development of ethics committees and to participate actively on committees to assure a forum for reasoned discussion of issues where important values are often at stake. Ethical issues in patient care are not going to go away and are receiving more attention with increased competition and cost containment. While it is a generally accepted principle that cost should never be the sole determinant of patient care decisions, this is occurring where decisions have been made without discussing the ethical aspects of cut-back policy decisions. Institutional ethics committees have the potential for protecting patients' interests and welfare and assuring that reasoned, fair decisions are made for those unable to decide for themselves. Such institutional mechanisms may prevent government intrusion in patient care decisions and assure that recourse to courts is a last resort. Nurses play an important role in helping to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of institutional ethics committees.
作为患者权益的倡导者，护士处于促进伦理委员会发展的有利地位，并能积极参与委员会工作，以确保为那些重要价值观经常受到威胁的问题提供一个进行理性讨论的平台。患者护理中的伦理问题不会消失，而且随着竞争加剧和成本控制，这些问题正受到更多关注。虽然成本绝不应该是患者护理决策的唯一决定因素，这是一个普遍接受的原则，但在没有讨论削减政策决策的伦理方面就做出决策的情况下，这种情况正在发生。机构伦理委员会有潜力保护患者的利益和福祉，并确保为那些无法为自己做决定的人做出理性、公平的决策。这样的机构机制可以防止政府干预患者护理决策，并确保诉诸法院是最后的手段。护士在帮助建立和评估机构伦理委员会的有效性方面发挥着重要作用。
