The American journal of medicine
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The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients and their families found ethics consultations to be helpful and whether they were satisfied with the treatment decisions that were made in those cases where ethics consultation was requested. ⋯ Patients and families found ethics consultation provided by clinical ethicists at Loma Linda University Medical Center to be helpful in a majority of instances, and rarely found them detrimental. Based on an analysis of their comments, we believe ethics consultations were perceived as helpful in 7 ways: increased clinical clarity, increased moral or legal clarity, motivation to do what they believe is right, facilitation of the process of decision-making, implementation of a decision, interpretation of technical language, and consolation and support.