The Brigham and Women’s Hospital Ethics Committee is a multidisciplinary advisory group comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, administrators, clergy and representatives of the community. The Committee meets semimonthly with the following goals:
- To provide a peer review forum for recent ethics consultations
- To educate Committee members about the principles and clinical applications of bioethics
- To develop new (or revise existing) hospital policies and procedures that relate to ethics and patient care
Committee members who are not actively involved in the Ethics Consultation Service generally serve a three-year term. This rotation of staff from various departments provides a mechanism for integrating bioethics education throughout the hospital.
The Ethics Management Group, a subgroup of the larger Committee, meets on a monthly basis to develop Ethics Committee meeting agendas and create an integrated bioethics curriculum across Committee meetings.
