BIO-ETHICS COMMITTEE

 

POLICY STATEMENT:

The Division of Veterans Healthcare Services encourages each of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes to establish a Bio-Ethics Committee charged with overseeing the homes’ decision-making practices with respect to making difficult, fundamental, ethical decisions.

PURPOSE:

This policy and procedure serves to promote the establishment of a Bio-Ethics Committee at each of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes, that has as its goal on-going programs of staff education in the fundamentals of ethical decisions, policy development and implementation, and an awareness of attitudinal and/or administrative impediments to good decision-making. The programs should involve a review of resident care and/or consultations, retrospective case reviews, resident family conferences, and family night education.

DEFINITION:

ETHICS - The rules of conduct dealing with values and motives relating to human behavior with respect to the rightness and/or wrongness of certain actions, and the end results of such actions.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION - A formal expression of opinion or intent when a disagreement or opposition occurs between interested or involved parties.

PROCEDURE:

A. New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes

  1. The Division recommends the New Jersey State Veterans Homes establish a Bio-Ethics Committee charged with overseeing the homes decision-making practices, with respect to making difficult, fundamental, ethical decisions concerning treatment interventions.
  a. Bio-Ethics Committee membership may representative of the following services:
  Administrator
Medical Director
Attending Physician
Registered Nurses (2):
-One of supervisory status
-One directly involved with the resident
Social Worker
Clergy
Community/Volunteer Representative
Geriatrician
Legal Counsel
Dietitian (when necessary)
Direct Service Provider
  b. Bio-Ethics Committee membership must be representative of at least the following services:
 

Medical Director
Attending Physician
Licensed Nurse involved in direct care

NOTE: the Chief Executive Officer will designate the Chairperson. In situations where the Chairperson is also the attending physician, the Chief Executive Officer will designate another individual to serve as the back-up Chairperson.
 

c. Members shall be consistent for two (2) years.

d. Meetings are to occur on a routinely scheduled, and as needed, basis.

e. Any member of the health care team can request a meeting to discuss concerns.

f. The Bio-Ethics Committee Chairperson shall screen all consultation requests.

g. Documentation of the Bio-Ethics Committee:

The Bio-Ethics Committee will maintain minutes of all meetings.

Minutes must reflect the following components:

Purpose of meeting being called
Summary of meeting
Committee recommendations
Attendees
 

h. Distribution of Bio-Ethics Committee information in resident-specific meetings:
 

Original filed in the Medical Record
Copy forwarded to the Medical Record Department
Copy with Chairperson of the Bio-Ethics Committee
If the resident requires a transfer to an outside hospital, a copy may be forwarded.
 

i. If there is a dispute regarding an Advance Directive, the following will occur:
 

1. The resident, health care representative, attending physician, health care staff member, or the administrator may direct the dispute for resolution to the "Bio-Ethics Committee" for appropriate resolution.

2. The Bio-Ethics Committee shall meet to review the dispute and make a recommendation. The Committee may consult with a Regional Ethics Committee, or other type of affiliated ethics committee, or individual(s) who are qualified by their background and/or experience, to offer clinical or ethical judgments.
 

a. The resident/family will be informed in the event of such consultation.

b. Recommendations will be documented by the Bio-Ethics Committee and placed in the resident's medical record. All records from an affiliated Bio-Ethics Committee/ consultant should be attached.
 

3. If the dispute is not resolved, then the Bio-Ethics Committee will recommend contacting the Office of the Ombudsman, the Public Guardian, or the Judicial System.

 

Revised: July 2005

COMMUNICATIONS/COMMITTEES - 13-02-008

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