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AbilityLab’s ethics consultation service is committed to creating an atmosphere that encourages conflict resolution, value exploration and informed decision-making. The ethics consultation process can be helpful in times of stress and uncertainty because it ensures everyone’s concerns are heard, clarifies the acceptable range of treatment options, and suggests possible solutions.
The ethics consultation service is run by the Donnelley Ethics Program. Consultants come from a variety of disciplines including medicine, psychology, law, philosophy, and social work. The consultants have all met the credentialing requirements to perform ethics consultations set by our Chief Medical Officer. Two types of clinical ethics consultation are offered:
Ethics Consultation: A formal consultation may be requested if a more in-depth examination of the ethical issues regarding a patient’s care would be beneficial. As part of an ethics consultation, consultants will notify the patient’s attending physician and other relevant stakeholders, and typically review medical records and discuss the case with other team members. In some cases, it may be helpful to meet with the patient and family. Ethics consultations are often documented in the patient’s medical record.
Ethics Inquiries:Any person may contact an ethics consultant to talk through a clinical ethics concern at any time without involving others on the team or providing specific patient information. Inquiries are not documented in the medical record.
There is no charge to patients, family, or staff for clinical ethics consultations at AbilityLab, and anyone (patient, family member, or staff) involved in the care of a patient may request a consultation.