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Overview of Ethics Consultation Service
Background:
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations mandates that hospitals have a process for addressing ethical dilemmas in
patient care. The Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy maintains the
Ethics Consultation Service to meet this need at Loyola University Medical Center.
Purpose of Ethics Consultation Service:
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Identify ethically acceptable courses of action
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Educate about ethical issues
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Clarify legal and hospital policies
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Facilitate the resolution of ethical issues
What Happens During an Ethics Consultation?
An ethics consultation consists of an ethics consultant
reviewing the medical record, facilitating a conference among the main parties to the
case, and recording a recommendation in the medical record.
LUHS health-care professionals may seek information from
members of the ethics committee of faculty of the Neiswanger Institute at any time. However, an official consultation consists of the steps listed above. Unless an official
consultation is requested, information provided is informal and for educational purposes.
Private communications are not for use in the medical record.
Ethics consultants are also available to provide information
regarding advance directives and advance care planning to patients, families and members
of the Loyola University Medical Center community. Simply contact the consultation service
to schedule an appointment.
Appointments will be arranged to meet the needs of the patient and family and can be done
on evenings and weekends.
Organization of the Consult Service:
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The consult service is available between 9 am and 4 pm,
Monday through Friday. We promise a response within 24-hours.
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We accept consult requests from patients and families, and
doctors, nurses, social workers, other health care workers involved in the patient's care,
as well as chaplains, legal affairs, and administrators.
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Two ethicists are assigned to perform consults each month.
The ethics team is comprised of at least one clinician (MD or RN) and one non-clinician.
The consultation will be conducted by one person if no other team member can be found.
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At least one member of the following list will be conducting
the consult:
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Andrew Bonwit, MD
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John Hardt, PhD
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Theresa Kristopaitis, M.D.
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Mark Kuczewski, Ph.D.
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Kenneth Micetich, M.D.
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Aaron Michelfelder, M.D.
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Kayhan Parsi,
J.D., Ph.D.
How to
Request an Ethics Consultation
(link accessible only from Loyola network)
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