Assessing the quality of clinical ethics consultations: an evaluation of assessment tools (V)
Lalit Krishna1,2,3, Jasmine Owyong1, Nur Amira Binte Abdul Hamid1, Nicholas Yue Shuen Yoon1,2, Yun Ting Ong1,2, Hong Wei Yap1,2, Kuang Teck Tay1,2, National Cancer Centre Singapore 2, 3, Liverpool United Kingdom 1National Cancer Centre Singapore 2National University of Singapore Singapore3University of Liverpool Liverpool, United Kingdom
Abstract
Concerns about the ability of Clinical Ethics Committees to carry out effective ethics consultations (CECons) have been raised, amidst its expanding roles in education and policy making. Recent reviews have suggested there is no uniformity to CECons and no effective means of assessing the quality of CECons. To address this gap, prevailing tools used to assess CECons were reviewed to foreground and guide the design of a tool to evaluate the quality of CECons.
The research team performed independent literature review of accounts assessing CECons in six databases. Articles were analyzed using content and thematic analysis to enhance the validity of findings.
Four themes were identified – the purpose of the CECons evaluations, the domains assessed, methods of assessment and the long-term impact of these evaluations.
Prevailing assessments of CECons were found to be piecemeal due to variable goals, contextual factors and practical limitations. Diversity in domains assessed and tools used foregrounds the lack of minimum standards upheld to ensure baseline efficacy. To advance an appropriate, sensitive, program specific assessment tool to assess CECons, clear structural and competency guidelines must be established in the curation of CECons programs to evaluate their true efficacy and maintain clinical, legal and ethical standards.
Biography
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