Evaluating the effectiveness of clinical ethics committees: a systematic review.

Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy
Chiara CricoGabriella Pravettoni

Abstract

Clinical Ethics Committees (CECs), as distinct from Research Ethics Committees, were originally established with the aim of supporting healthcare professionals in managing controversial clinical ethical issues. However, it is still unclear whether they manage to accomplish this task and what is their impact on clinical practice. This systematic review aims to collect available assessments of CECs' performance as reported in literature, in order to evaluate CECs' effectiveness. We retrieved all literature published up to November 2019 in six databases (PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, Philosopher's Index, Embase and Web of Science), following PRISMA guidelines. We included only articles specifically addressing CECs and providing any form of CECs performance assessment. Twenty-nine articles were included. Ethics consultation was the most evaluated of CECs' functions. We did not find standardized tools for measuring CECs' efficacy, but 33% of studies considered "user satisfaction" as an indicator, with 94% of them reporting an average positive perception of CECs' impact. Changes in patient treatment and a decrease of moral distress in health personnel were reported as additional outcomes of ethics consultation. The highly diverse way...Continue Reading

References

Sep 1, 1989·Journal of Medical Ethics·J E FleetwoodR J Baron
Dec 1, 1988·The American Journal of Medicine·H S Perkins, B S Saathoff
Jul 2, 1987·The New England Journal of Medicine·B Lo
Jan 1, 1993·Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics : CQ : the International Journal of Healthcare Ethics Committees·L S Scheirton
Feb 15, 1994·Annals of Internal Medicine·J C Fletcher, D E Hoffmann
Jan 1, 1993·QRB. Quality Review Bulletin·B D WhiteJ S Sergent
Aug 1, 1996·The American Journal of Medicine·R D OrrJ C Fals
Dec 5, 1990·Healthcare Management Forum·J L StorchB A Olineck
Jan 3, 1993·Healthcare Management Forum·J L Storch, G G Griener
Dec 10, 1991·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·G G Griener, J L Storch
Dec 10, 1991·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·M L SmithG Erenberg
Dec 10, 1991·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·L S Scheirton
Dec 9, 1992·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·R F WilsonJ C Fletcher
Dec 9, 1993·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·J R DayR L Collins
Aug 5, 1997·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·J C WhiteL Homer
Jun 20, 2000·Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics : CQ : the International Journal of Healthcare Ethics Committees·J C Mino
Sep 15, 2000·BMJ : British Medical Journal·A M Slowther, T Hope
Feb 24, 2001·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·P H Robles
Apr 21, 2001·Journal of Medical Ethics·L Doyal
Oct 1, 1992·The Journal of Medical Humanities·Richard S Hipps
Apr 17, 2002·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·G McGeeD A Asch
May 11, 2002·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·Anne SlowtherJohn McMillan
Nov 19, 2003·Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy·Norbert Steinkamp, Bert Gordijn
Jul 13, 2004·Clinical Medicine : Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London·John Saunders
Jan 7, 2005·Journal of Medical Ethics·S A HurstM Danis
Jun 1, 2005·Journal of Medical Ethics·T MeulenbergsP T Schotsmans
Mar 17, 2007·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Ellen FoxRobert A Pearlman
Oct 3, 2007·Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy·Reidun FørdeVictoria Akre
Oct 19, 2007·Health Care Analysis : HCA : Journal of Health Philosophy and Policy·Samia A HurstMarion Danis
Feb 14, 2008·Medical Law International·Laura WilliamsonJudith Connell
Mar 10, 2010·Journal of Medical Ethics·Alice GaudineMarianne Lamb
Aug 2, 2011·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·Andrea DörriesAnne-Marie Slowther
Feb 4, 2012·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·Jessica Richmond MoellerDean Frate
Mar 23, 2012·Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice·Alessandra GoriniGabriella Pravettoni
Oct 18, 2012·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Andrea FrolicLori McCall
Oct 22, 2013·Journal of Advanced Nursing·Silvia GilardiGabriella Pravettoni
Aug 6, 2014·Nursing Ethics·Marit Helene HemBert Molewijk
Nov 13, 2014·Science and Engineering Ethics·Marek CzarkowskiBeata Szymańska
Jan 15, 2016·Critical Reviews in Oncology/hematology·Chiara RenziGabriella Pravettoni
Feb 26, 2016·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Alma LinkeviciuteGiovanni Boniolo
Mar 1, 2016·HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues·Marianne K Bahus, Reidun Førde

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
dissect

Software Mentioned

Embase
Scopus
Mendeley
Ovid MEDLINE

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

HEC Forum : an Interdisciplinary Journal on Hospitals' Ethical and Legal Issues
Andrea DörriesAnne-Marie Slowther
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved