Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Section 1 The Context of Healthcare Ethics Committee Work
- Section 2 Consultation
- Section 3 Policy Development and Organizational Issues
- 16 Ethics committees and distributive justice
- 17 Developing effective ethics policy
- 18 Implementing policy to the wider community
- 19 Ethics in and for the organization
- Section 4 Educating Others
- Index
- References
18 - Implementing policy to the wider community
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Section 1 The Context of Healthcare Ethics Committee Work
- Section 2 Consultation
- Section 3 Policy Development and Organizational Issues
- 16 Ethics committees and distributive justice
- 17 Developing effective ethics policy
- 18 Implementing policy to the wider community
- 19 Ethics in and for the organization
- Section 4 Educating Others
- Index
- References
Summary
Objectives
Describe ways that local or institutional-specific ethics policies have broader community implications.
Explain why it is important for HEC members to educate the broader (not just institution-speciic) community about ethical policies.
Propose ways for HEC members to become involved in public policy and/or legislation regarding ethical issues.
Case
In early January 2011, 85-year-old Albert Barnes was actively dying from multi-organ system failure and end-stage dementia in the intensive care unit at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in Minneapolis. He had end-stage respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation, endstage renal failure, recurrent pneumonias, a recent history of seizure activity, recurrent urinary tract infections, ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections, and multi-drug resistant bacteremia. He received nutrition via a surgically implanted percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube. He was neurologically unresponsive.
Mr. Barnes had multiple episodes of pulseless electrical activity between June 12, 2010 and December 1, 2010 while hospitalized at another local hospital, Hennepin County Medical Center. He was discharged home on December 25, 2010, only to be admitted that same day via ambulance to Methodist Hospital. This was Mr. Barnes’ 78th emergency ambulance transport over the past 9 years from his home in rural Minnesota to a healthcare facility in the Twin Cities region.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Guidance for Healthcare Ethics Committees , pp. 139 - 146Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2012