Clinical Ethics
M. D. Anderson's Clinical Ethics Service (CES) helps patients, families and health professionals make difficult decisions about medical treatments and patient care. These decisions may involve moral values, religious beliefs, or professional duties and guidelines. The CES also provides education, consultation, research and policy development in clinical ethics.
The CES includes two faculty members, adjuvant ethicists, trainees (fellows, interns and observers) and administrative staff.
Ethics Consultation Service
The Ethics Consultation Service (ECS) is available to identify, analyze and resolve specific ethical questions or issues through information-gathering, education and discussion with the health professionals, patients and family members involved. The Clinical Ethicists and members of M. D. Anderson's Clinical Ethics Committee participate in providing ethics consultation.
ECS representatives offer advice, make recommendations and help identify ethically supportable options, but they do not make decisions for the persons involved. Patients, family members and health professionals can decide whether to follow the recommendations of the ECS, and they remain responsible for their own decisions.
Any patient, family member or guardian, health professional or others with a legitimate interest in a patient may request a consultation. All consultations are confidential , and services are free.
ECS representatives are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call (713) 792-8775 or page (713) 404-2863.
Clinical Ethics Guidelines
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