Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation

CHOI Jiyeon; Seung Gyeong Jang; Junga Kim; Ilhak LEE

doi:10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

@article{ART002512611},
author={CHOI Jiyeon and Seung Gyeong Jang and Junga Kim and Ilhak LEE},
title={Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation},
journal={Korean Journal of Medical Ethics },
issn={2005-8284},
year={2019},
volume={22},
number={3},
pages={209-233},
doi={10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209}

TY - JOUR
AU - CHOI Jiyeon
AU - Seung Gyeong Jang
AU - Junga Kim
AU - Ilhak LEE
TI - Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation
JO - Korean Journal of Medical Ethics
PY - 2019
VL - 22
IS - 3
PB - The Korean Society For Medical Ethics
SP - 209
EP - 233
SN - 2005-8284
AB - Institutional Ethics Committees are responsible for reviewing, consulting, and educating about matters related to life-sustaining treatment, these committees should play a substantial role in implementing the Act in each hospital. However, there are few such committees and their operations have been limited in many respects. In this article we report on a survey that was carried out to assess the difficulties faced by 63 committee administrators. We also conducted focus-group interviews with seven medical professionals or administrators working in health care institutions in which a committee has been established. Subjects were asked about the difficulties these committees face in advising on foregoing life-sustaining treatment. The operational problems that were reported include the following: difficulties in accessing patients’ records of decisions concerning life-sustaining treatment, obstacles in using Shared Ethics Committees, legal and administrative complexities in diagnosing the end-of-life process, the lack of expertise of committee members and administrators, manpower shortages on the committees, and medical professionals’ negative views of the Act’s procedures for life-sustaining treatment decision-making. In order to deal with these problems, we suggest the following solutions: improving the accessibility of patients’ life-sustaining treatment decisions, encouraging the use of Shared Ethics Committees, defining the qualifications and training requirements for Committee members, establishing better communications among committee members; creating an educational system for medical professionals in order to improve their understanding of the committees’ role; and developing standard operating procedures for the committees.
KW - withholding treatment;clinical decision-making;ethics committees;clinical ethics committees;ethics consultation
DO - 10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209
ER -

CHOI Jiyeon, Seung Gyeong Jang, Junga Kim and Ilhak LEE. (2019). Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation. Korean Journal of Medical Ethics , 22(3), 209-233.

CHOI Jiyeon, Seung Gyeong Jang, Junga Kim and Ilhak LEE. 2019, "Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation", Korean Journal of Medical Ethics , vol.22, no.3 pp.209-233. Available from: doi:10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

CHOI Jiyeon, Seung Gyeong Jang, Junga Kim, Ilhak LEE "Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation" Korean Journal of Medical Ethics 22.3 pp.209-233 (2019) : 209.

CHOI Jiyeon, Seung Gyeong Jang, Junga Kim, Ilhak LEE. Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation. 2019; 22(3), 209-233. Available from: doi:10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

CHOI Jiyeon, Seung Gyeong Jang, Junga Kim and Ilhak LEE. "Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation" Korean Journal of Medical Ethics 22, no.3 (2019) : 209-233.doi: 10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

CHOI Jiyeon; Seung Gyeong Jang; Junga Kim; Ilhak LEE. Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation. Korean Journal of Medical Ethics , 22(3), 209-233. doi: 10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

CHOI Jiyeon; Seung Gyeong Jang; Junga Kim; Ilhak LEE. Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation. Korean Journal of Medical Ethics . 2019; 22(3) 209-233. doi: 10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

CHOI Jiyeon, Seung Gyeong Jang, Junga Kim, Ilhak LEE. Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation. 2019; 22(3), 209-233. Available from: doi:10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

CHOI Jiyeon, Seung Gyeong Jang, Junga Kim and Ilhak LEE. "Institutional Ethics Committees for Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment in Korea: Their Current State and Experiences with their Operation" Korean Journal of Medical Ethics 22, no.3 (2019) : 209-233.doi: 10.35301/ksme.2019.22.3.209

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