The UIHC Ethics Consult Service officially started on June 2, 2014. The Service is a resource for patients, family members, or health professionals at UIHC who would like help addressing an ethical question or issue related to a patient's care. During the first year of the Service, there were a total of 46 ethics consults. The word cloud pictured above this paragraph provides a suggestive snapshot of the scope of ethical issues seen by the Service. The most common ethical issues were decision-making capacity, surrogate decision-making, refusal of treatment by the patient/family, rights and duties of healthcare professionals, goals of care, conscientious practice, patient autonomy, medical futility, and advance care planning.
For more information on the Ethics Consult Service, please click here.