Abstract
Healthcare professionals have many formal and informal ways of receiving help with complex ethics issues. Informal mechanisms are probably used many times every day and have an important place in healthcare. These can be as simple as “hallway conversations” with a peer or mentor or more formally by speaking to a professional representative or an administrator. However, almost every healthcare institution now has some form of clinical ethics service. The details vary, but typically there is an “ethics committee” supported by a professional ethicist. Such a service can offer advice and assistance that might be immediately helpful in dealing with challenging aspects of a healthcare situation. Unlike “hallway conversations” and the like, consultations by an ethics service will be structured and documented. They can be a very valuable resource for healthcare professionals at every level from the very earliest training stage to those who are very experienced. There have been many changes in the formats of ethics services since they were first conceived in the 1960s including that all healthcare professionals now have formal training in ethics.
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Mitchell, I., Guichon, J.R. (2019). How Can I Receive Help with Ethics Issues?. In: Ethics in Pediatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22617-6_3
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