Hospital Ethics Committee

What is a Hospital Ethics Committee?

The origin of the term "hospital ethics committee" first appeared in the Karen Quinlan decision in 1976 (re: Quinlan, 70 N.J. 10; 355 A.2d 647). The Quinlan decision recommended that future such cases go before a "hospital 'Ethics Committee' or like body of the institution." In 1983, the U.S. President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical Research endorsed the use of hospital ethics committees, followed by endorsement by the American Medical Association in 1985. In 1992, The Joint Commission (TJC) required that hospitals have an "independent ethics mechanism" to address ethical issues in clinical care, which resulted in the establishment at TJC-accredited institutions into clinical ethics consultation.

The UK HealthCare Hospital Ethics Committee

The UK HealthCare Hospital Ethics Committee (HEC) is a multidisciplinary committee that includes members from the UK hospitals, as well as the VA Medical Center. The HEC continues to be a standing committee that reports to the Medical Staff Executive Committee (MSEC). The main charges of the HEC are to review or generate policy, as well as run the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service. The HEC meets the first Monday of each month. To recommend an agenda item for discussion, or to inquire about membership, please contact the Chair. To request a clinical ethics consultation, page the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service at 859-330-0365 or request your consultation via email.

To read about clinical ethics consultation and ethics committees, download the Clinical Ethics Bibliography (PDF, 138KB).

Hospital Ethics Committee Chair

The HEC is chaired by M Sara Rosenthal, PhD, Director of the UK Program for Bioethics.