Newport Hospital
Ethics Committee
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A Place to Turn When You Face Difficult Choices
Advanced medical technology sometimes creates complex choices, such as
decisions about life-sustaining treatment or interpreting a living will.
Circumstances can arise that present ethical dilemmas for you, your family
or your doctor. You or your family may wish to discuss the ethical
implications of pursuing certain recommended treatments. If you're
unable to take part in your health care decisions, your family might find
it difficult to make these decisions on your behalf. In such situations,
the Ethics Committee is available to consult with you, your family, your
authorized representative or your doctor.
- What is the Ethics Committee?
The Ethics Committee is a group of professionals, appointed by the
hospital, who will consult with you to discuss the ethical aspects of
your care and who will make recommendations if you wish. The committee
includes doctors, nurses, an ethicist, a lawyer, a chaplain, a
community representative and a senior administrator of the hospital.
All members have training in medical ethics and also have practical
experience in helping patients, families and doctors with difficult
questions that might arise. Newport Hospital provides this service to
you, your doctor and your family without charge.
- What Kinds of Problems Does the Ethics Committee Help With?
The Ethics Committee has helped patients, families and doctors with
decisions about stopping treatment, about incompetent patients, and
about interpretation of living wills. The committee welcomes the
opportunity to help you by listening to your concerns, helping you
gather information about your situation, evaluating the ethical
questions about your treatment and providing guidance to you, your
family and your doctor regarding the ethical principles and choices
you and they might be faced with. The Ethics Committee will not make
decisions for you or tell your doctor what to do.
- Who May Request Help from the Ethics Committee?
You and anyone who is involved with your care. For example, you or a
family member could request help, as can your doctor, nurse, social
worker or chaplain. Sometimes only one person may need to speak with
the committee about a concern, and at other times several people might
need to be involved in the discussions. The committee strives to
determine the best possible way to consult in each individual
situation, always mindful of the need for openness and always
sensitive to your moral, legal, cultural, psychosocial, spiritual and
personal concerns.
- Is the Information About My Case Confidential?
Yes. The Ethics Committee treats the facts of patients' cases
with the strictest confidence. Your doctor will be involved in the
decision making process, as well as your family or authorized
representative. Depending on the nature of the situation, individual
committee members or the entire committee may be called upon to
provide information. Everyone involved respects your right to privacy
and confidentiality.
- How Do I Contact the Ethics Committee?
If you believe a consultation with the committee would be helpful,
you may ask your doctor or nurse to contact a committee member. You
may also reach the committee through the Newport Hospital vice
president of nursing and patient care services.
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