The University of Missouri Health Care Clinical Ethics Committee promotes ethical decision-making by supporting patients, families, surrogate decision-makers, health care professionals, and health care organizations facing complex ethical questions in clinical care. Coordinated by the MU Center for Health Ethics, the Committee advances ethical practice through clinical ethics consultation, policy review, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Mission
Patients, families, surrogate decision-makers, and health care professionals may encounter situations involving complex ethical questions during medical care. These situations often include medical, nursing, legal, psychological, cultural, religious, and social considerations that can create uncertainty or disagreement.
The mission of the Clinical Ethics Committee is to support thoughtful, patient-centered decision-making by helping individuals and care teams identify, analyze, and address the ethical dimensions of health care decisions. Through education, consultation, and policy development, the Committee promotes ethical practice throughout University of Missouri Health Care.
What the Clinical Ethics Committee Does
The Clinical Ethics Committee serves several important functions within University of Missouri Health Care.
Clinical Ethics Consultation
The Committee supports the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service, which provides ethics consultation for patients, families, surrogate decision-makers, and members of the health care team facing ethically complex situations. Ethics consultants facilitate communication, clarify ethical considerations, and assist care teams in thoughtful, collaborative decision-making.
Ethics Education
The Committee promotes education in clinical ethics by providing learning opportunities for faculty, staff, resident physicians, fellows, students, and other health care professionals. Regular meetings include discussion of ethics consultations, emerging issues in health care ethics, and current topics relevant to clinical practice.
Policy Review and Organizational Ethics
The Committee reviews selected institutional policies and offers guidance on ethical issues that affect patient care and health care organizations. Through interdisciplinary discussion, the Committee contributes to the development of ethical practices that support high-quality patient care and organizational integrity.
Interdisciplinary Membership
The Clinical Ethics Committee reflects the interdisciplinary nature of health care and ethical decision-making. Members represent a wide range of professional backgrounds and perspectives, including:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Clinical ethicists
- Hospital administrators
- Chaplains
- Social workers
- Psychologists
- Attorneys
- Philosophers
- Theologians
- Fellows
- Resident physicians
- Medical students
- Faculty from multiple academic disciplines
- Community representatives
The Clinical Ethics Consultation Service is staffed by members of the Clinical Ethics Committee, allowing consultation activities, education, and policy development to inform one another through ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration.
The Committee meets monthly to review ethics consultation activities, discuss ethical issues affecting patient care, consider institutional policies, and promote continuing education in clinical ethics. The Committee's work is informed by nationally recognized standards and best practices for clinical ethics consultation and supports the ethical mission of University of Missouri Health Care.
