Impact of Mandatory Clinical Ethics Consultation for Neurocritically Ill Patients
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22421406 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Y C Lin (Kaohsiung Medical University, corresponding author), Yen-Ko Lin, C H Chen (Kaohsiung Medical University), Chao-Wen Chen, Yung-Sung Yeh, Y S Yeh (Kaohsiung Medical University), Chia-ju Lin (0000-0003-2867-1319, Kaohsiung Medical University, corresponding author), Y S Huang (0000-0001-5188-6719, Kaohsiung Medical University), Yu-Wen Huang (0009-0006-5581-8098), Yu‐Chih Lin (0000-0002-4162-7614), Yu-Chih Lin, Chau-Chyun Sheu |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1176-7529 • E-ISSN: 1872-4353 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11673-025-10512-w |
| PMID | 42209925 |
| OpenAlex | W7162678147 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 38 |
This study aimed to investigate and compare the longitudinal impacts of mandatory clinical ethics consultation (CEC) on resource use and ethical conflicts among critically ill neurologic and non-neurologic patients. It also sought to identify relevant predictive factors and determine family member satisfaction with CEC. This combined retrospective and prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical centre. During the eight-year study period, 1,150 adult patients participated in this study (437 neurological and 713 non-neurological). In both groups, the ICU length of stay and days of ventilator use significantly decreased each year. Secular trends in the incidence rates of ethical conflicts significantly decreased each year in neurological patients. Neurological patients exhibited a greater decrease in resource usage and significantly higher incidence rates of ethical conflicts than non-neurological patients. Family members of both groups expressed high levels of satisfaction and agreed that CEC was beneficial. In the local healthcare context, the implementation of CEC policies may reduce resource usage, ethical conflicts, and improve the knowledge base of CEC and clinical teams, helping them in approaching the distinct issues raised by various patient characteristics. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution as their applicability to other healthcare systems may vary.
Clinical Ethics · Ethics committee · Health care · Medical ethics · Medical law · Prospective cohort study · Retrospective cohort study · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Ethics in medical practice · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |