Introduction
The Ethics committee (EC) are an essential part of the health institutions, however, in many occasions their response capacity is slow, being organs perceived as distant from the clinical practice. This means that they receive limited consultations, leaving many decisions to the sole discretion of the physician in charge.
Material and methods
A prospective study was designed based on anonymous surveys for professionals, family members and patients attended at the Hospital Ramón y Cajal. The analysis included a description of demographic variables, information on knowledge of the EC and on ethical-health care conflicts.
Results
Between December 2023 and March 2024, 394 responses were received. A total of 108 patients and family members (52% patients, 48% family members) were included, of whom 46 were men and 62 were women with a median age of 64 (range 20-90). 84% considered the decision support provided by a CEAS team to be useful. 85% believed that this would improve the quality of their care. The professionals included 83 men, 202 women and 1 other (aged 23-54). The most represented groups were doctors (55%). 53% were not familiar with the CEAS. 9% had requested help from the CEAS and 19% had attended training. 48% were aware of clinical ethics consulting. 37% acknowledged facing ethical problems, resolving them by consulting a colleague (68%). 84% saw the usefulness of consulting with other professionals.
Conclusions
This work reflects knowledge about CEAS, the needs of patients, family members and professionals, and the most common ethical conflicts in our environment.
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