Case 2 : The Role Of The Bioethics Committe

The Bioethics Committee assists in discerning the ethical issues, the options for action, and the best possible course(s) of action in the present situation, considering all circumstances. The Committee itself does not make the final decision. It simply helps patients, family members, and health care professionals reach a decision.

To achieve its aims, the Committee performs the following, in order of priority:

1. It provides education programs for its own members and for the various members of the health care facility. This should be a regular activity. The ideal situation is that all health care professionals possess the basics of Bioethics. Each one could hopefully know and apply the principles to the cases on hand, without frequently having to confer with the Bioethics Committee.
   
   
2. It frames ethical policies concerning the facilities’ activities. This is done as needed, especially concerning frequently recurring ethical questions.
   
   
3. It receives consultations from health care professionals and sometimes from families. This, however, is minimized if the Committee habitually focuses on the first two points above (education and framing policies). The Committee is not meant to examine every difficult case.
   
   Note that Bioethics should not be confused with doing charity work, medical missions or other humanitarian or religious activities. Rather, it promotes a more holistic approach to medicine, that is, a complete care and not just cure of the body. The principles and themes covered help both health care professionals and patients in their day-to-day decision-making.
   
   Topics studied in Bioethics include informed consent, confidentiality, health care delivery, religious considerations, relationships with peers and patients, marriage and family, life issues, and others.

Note that Bioethics should not be confused with doing charity work, medical missions or other humanitarian or religious activities. Rather, it promotes a more holistic approach to medicine, that is, a complete care and not just cure of the body. The principles and themes covered help both health care professionals and patients in their day-to-day decision-making.

Topics studied in Bioethics include informed consent, confidentiality, health care delivery, religious considerations, relationships with peers and patients, marriage and family, life issues, and others.