Percepción de médicos intensivistas de adultos sobre el aporte de la consultoría ético-clínica
Opinion about clinical ethics consultation among intensivist physicians

Rev. méd. Chile; 149 (7), 2021
Publication year: 2021

Background:

Clinical ethics consultation services and their methods vary and they are seldom evaluated. Only one formal system of individual clinical ethics consultation has been reported in Chile, with a ten-year registry.

Aim:

To evaluate the opinion of intensivist physicians about the contribution of clinical ethics consultation.

Material and Methods:

An anonymous and voluntary questionnaire consulting their opinion about clinical ethics consultations was sent to 38 intensivist physicians.

Results:

The questionnaire was answered by 28 professionals. Eighty four percent of respondents considered that ethics consultation contributed to improve patients' quality of care, 92% responded that this practice helps in decisions about limitation of treatments or life support, and 96% expressed that it also was a positive support for patients and their relatives. Seventy two percent of respondents considered that ethics consultations enhanced their ethical sensibility, 76% that they improved their understanding of clinical ethics topics, and 72% declared that it decreased their stress in complex decision-making.

Conclusions:

Clinical ethics consultation provides a positive support for improvements in clinical decision-making and in the quality of patients' care.

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