Ethics Consultation Service

Everyone, whether a patient, physician, family member or staff, has the right to request an ethics consultation. The Ethics Consultation Service takes a compassionate, multidisciplinary approach that includes the input of all who care for the patient. 

 Ethics consultants can assist with: 

  • Complex or complicated medical decision-making, including unclear goals of care and informed consent.
  • Questions involving non-beneficial treatments or medical futility.
  • Determining surrogate decision makers,  including for children, socially isolated or unrepresented patients, or when the patient’s wishes are unclear.
  • Limiting, withholding, or withdrawing treatments, especially near the end of life.
  • Assessing capacity to consent to or refuse treatments.
  • Managing conflicting or differing cultural or religious beliefs.
  • Addressing questions or concerns about the appropriateness of some treatments or therapies.
  • Completing, interpretation or applying advance directives.
  • Considering the use of scarce or expensive resources.
  • Managing issues related to confidentiality. 

Nebraska Medicine’s clinical ethicists help to provide a safe, neutral space to explore the ethical aspects of health care decisions. They also help clarify and support colleagues’ professional obligations while ensuring that patients’ rights are respected.

How to request an ethics consultation

Office of Healthcare Ethics

The Office of Healthcare Ethics (OHE) is a department that works to improve the quality of health care through the identification, analysis and resolution of ethical questions, dilemmas, or concerns.

The OHE provides ethics expertise to physicians, nurses, staff, and to patients and families by: 

  • Managing the Ethics Consultation Service, which helps patients, families, physicians and staff navigate difficult or complex situations in patient care, in a respectful atmosphere that promotes the interests, rights and responsibilities of all those involved.
  • Coordinating with the Accessibility and Culture Council, which oversees and advises on the development and implementation of dignity-, respect- and ethics-based initiatives in the health system and community.  
  • Offering educational opportunities to employees, which can be offered to in-house staff (through Ethics Rounds presentations or other formal or informal ways) and to the community as requested.
  • Reviewing organizational policy and guidelines by promoting clinical and organizational practices consistent with ethical norms and standards.
  • Providing peer support for staff, such as facilitating team or staff debriefs and coordinating Ethics Rounds and Schwartz Rounds.