Guiding Patients and Staff Through Ethical Decision-Making

Photo: John Weaver

Ochsner is committed to respecting the beliefs and wishes of our patients, their families and our staff. The Bioethics Committee at each of our hospitals provides information, guidelines and advice to the medical staff, hospital personnel, patients and patients’ representatives to support informed decision-making on bioethical issues. The advice may be patient-specific or issue-specific.

Susan Nelson, MD, System Chair, Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care and Bioethics, Ochsner Health contributing to a podcast episode entitled “Ethics of Life and Death Decisions”

Photo Credit: John Weaver

Medical ethical concerns may arise when there is conflict between what patients, their family or health care providers believe to be “right” in taking care of the patient. A Medical Ethics consult may help resolve your concerns.

Recently donor support provided funding for collaborating with the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City. This collaboration allows us access to comprehensive training programs for continuing education including interactive webinars, skill development workshops, policy development strategies and online discussion as well as Ethics professionals to assist our own ethics teams. We are also members of the Ethics Committee Consortium, a group of more than 20 healthcare organizations who meet regularly to educate, develop policies and consult on complex cases.

We are also sponsoring a Grand Rounds on March 17, 2023, in Monroe Hall and by Zoom, “Navigating Moral Distress in Caring for Cognitively Vulnerable Patients.” The speakers are Lauren R. Sankary, JD, MA, Neuroethics Staff, Neurological Institute, Associate Director, Neuroethics Program Cleveland Clinic Center for Bioethics and Georgina Morley, PhD, Nurse Ethicist, Cleveland Clinic.