NJHA will host the Healthcare Ethics Committee Symposium Oct. 3 and 9 to discuss the vital role of healthcare ethics committees and their unique responsibilities, including education, clinical ethics consultation and policy development and review.

Care-providing facilities, including acute care hospitals, nursing homes and home care agencies, are required as a condition of accreditation by the Joint Commission to have a standing mechanism to address ethical issues that arise in the healthcare settings. Most organizations meet this requirement with an interdisciplinary ethics committee.

Participants in this symposium will use case studies, published materials, institutional policies, role plays and personal experiences to explore issues that typically require ethical analysis and resolution. Topics will include informed consent and refusal, decisional capacity and decision making by and for patients, truth telling and confidentially, care at the beginning and end of life, justice and access to healthcare services and organizational ethics.

This program is targeted toward healthcare ethics committee chairs and members, including physicians, nurses, in-house counsel, social workers, risk managers, clergy, case managers, quality improvement directors, compliance officers, other healthcare professionals and community members. Click here for program details and online registration.