Framework for analyzing an ethical problem and conducting an ethical consultation.

Clinical ethics are an intrinsic aspect of practice in health care settings. However, health care professionals may have minimal training in ethics and communication. Clinical ethics committees, with a multidisciplinary composition, are in a position to offer clinical consultative services from a collaborative framework. Using this framework, as well as standard guidelines for conducting an ethics consultation, most often elicits essential beliefs, values, concerns, and opinions pertinent to the case at hand. Through enhancement of the communication process, group consensus is usually achieved. The framework guiding the consultation and communication process is delineated and illustrated through case analysis.