CLINICAL ETHICS CONSULTATION SERVICESAMBI has since its inception as the Center for Medical Ethics more than a decade ago provided clinical ethics consultation services at the bedside for patients, caregivers and families, as well as a very active ethics committee and involvement in transplantation.
Ethics consultation at Albany Medical Center is one of the keystones of its commitment to quality health care, and as evidence of this Alden March Bioethics Institute coordinates a very active clinical ethics consultation service, under the leadership of
Sheila Otto. Each year, clinical ethicists at the Albany Medical Center, upstate New York's tertiary care academic medical center, participate in as many as 100 ethics consults, and faculty round regularly in intensive services, HIV care, and participate in transplant committee, hospital policy and other committees. Researchers in the Institute have conducted and published national studies of ethics committees, and are currently engaged in study of the effect of ethics interventions in organ procurement and intensive care for children and surgical patients.
General Description
The past few years have brought unprecedented growth in medical technology. Each day brings new treatment options to patients, families, and healthcare providers. As a result, patients, families, and care providers face more decisions, especially more ethical decisions, than ever before. Instead of asking "what can be done?" they often find themselves asking "what should be done?" These questions can arise at any time, under any circumstances. For some, it might be as a loved one enters the final stages of a terminal disease or as a patient considers the appropriateness of a major medical intervention. For others, it might be as they complete a Healthcare Proxy or Living Will.
To assist patients, families, and care providers in making these complex decisions, Albany Medical Center offers a free Ethics Consultation Service that operates 24/7. We are open to listen to anyone who is involved in patient care and who has an ethical concern they wish to share. By helping people resolve the ethical dilemmas that modern medicine can present, the Consultation Service strives to maintain the highest ethical standards in the delivery of patient care.
The options presented by the Consultation Service are of an advisory nature only, and are neither institutionally nor legally binding. Of course, all services are completely confidential.
Our Staff
Specially trained and qualified medical ethics consultants perform the services. To help identify and address the diverse issues that can develop, the consultants explore the values and concerns of the patient and family. They also draw from the expertise of physicians, nurses, social workers, pastoral care representatives, hospital administration, and legal counsel.
When to Request an Ethics Consultation
Patients, families, and healthcare providers are encouraged to request the assistance of an ethics consultant when ethical questions arise or when support is needed in making difficult choices.
What Can You Expect?
Typically, the Consultation Service completes a request within 24 – 48 hours (time-sensitive situations will receive immediate attention). If someone other than the patient initiates the request, the patient and the attending physician are notified of the concerns.
Frequently a family meeting is held to clarify concerns, questions or goals of care.
To Request Assistance or Information
To request an ethics consultant (or more information about the Consultation Service), you can contact the Ethics Consultation Service directly by calling the operator (518-262-3125) for the consultant who is on call. More information about the ethics consultation service is available in
this brochure [PDF download] about ethics consultation at Albany Medical Center.
Forms for Patients and Families
Among the materials made available at admission to Albany Medical Center are a
Health Care Proxy and Living Will Form and a
Living Will Form.
Consultants
John Balint, MD, FRCP
Walter Edge, MD
Sheila Otto, BSN, MA
Wayne Shelton, PhD, MSW
Dan Thompson, MD
