This research project explores the approach(es) that should be adopted by clinical ethics support services (CESS) when advising on urgent decisions in healthcare.

The Research

Clinical ethics support services (CESS), such as clinical ethics committees or advisory groups, exist in many healthcare settings in the UK. These services primarily provide ethical input into trust policy, provide ethics education for professionals, and offer ethical advice on individual cases.

Literature generally discusses the value of CESS when time is available to make decisions. Less appears to be known about what their role is – and should be – regarding urgent decision-making. This study aims to understand how urgent ethics referrals are currently dealt with in the UK and how they should be dealt with going forward.

The Researcher

The research is being undertaken by Dr Katherine Murdoch, as part of her Master’s by Research (MScR) at the Centre for Ethics in Medicine, University of Bristol. Katherine is a junior doctor, with an intercalated degree in Bioethics, who has completed her foundation training. The study is funded by the Wellcome Trust via the Wellcome Trust Masters in Humanities and Social sciences.

The project is supervised by Professor Richard Huxtable, Dani O’Connor and Dr Karen Coulman at the University of Bristol.

The Research Questions

The primary research question is: What approach(es) should be adopted by clinical ethics support services (CESS) for advising on urgent decisions in healthcare?

The project will also seek to answer the following questions:

· What is the evidence for how CESS currently do – and should – advise on urgent decisions?

· What do key stakeholders, including internationally, consider the best approach(es) for CESS when advising on urgent decisions?

· What approach(es) should be adopted by CESS in the UK for advising on urgent decisions in healthcare?

The Approach

The first stage of the project is a narrative literature review to understand the wider issues surrounding clinical ethics support services (CESS) and a systematic literature review specifically looking at CESS’s role in urgent decision making. The second stage involves focus groups with key stakeholders, the findings from which will be thematically analysed. Finally, the findings will be brought together by an “empirical bioethics” approach, which will make recommendations.

I would like to find out more or consider taking part. What should I do?

If you would like to take part, please enter your details on the following online form –

https://forms.office.com/e/8BueFjnbgf

Ethical approval

This research has been given a favorable opinion by the University of Bristol Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee [REF: 12715].