Hospital bioethics committees: importance, operation and difficulties in implementation

Abstract Created in the 1960s, hospital bioethics committees help solve ethical health conflicts, ensuring the protection of the patients’ human dignity. The aim of this article is to investigate the importance and operation of such committees in supporting patients, family members, hospital staff and health institutions in the face of bioethical challenges. A systematic literature review was carried out in the SciELO and PubMed databases between January and March 2021. The review showed the importance of hospital bioethics committees for the protection of human rights, through their support for autonomy and shared decision making in health issues, which can transform local corporate culture. The establishment and mandatory nature of ethics committees vary according to the country, with no established international standards. In Brazil, the absence of legal regulation is due to the lack of knowledge on the subject. This study aims to contribute to the advancement of regulations of hospital bioethics committees in the country.

摘要 始创于20世纪60年代的医院生物伦理委员会（hospital bioethics committee），可助力解决医疗伦理冲突，切实保障患者的人类尊严。本文旨在探究此类委员会在应对生物伦理挑战时，为患者、家属、医院工作人员及医疗卫生机构提供支持的重要性与运作机制。本研究于2021年1月至3月间，在SciELO与PubMed数据库中开展系统文献综述。本次综述结果显示，医院生物伦理委员会通过支持医疗议题中的患者自主权与共同决策，在人权保护层面具有重要价值，且能够推动当地医疗机构组织文化的革新。伦理委员会的设立要求与强制属性因国家而异，目前尚未形成统一的国际标准。在巴西，相关法律规制的缺失源于对该议题的专业认知不足。本研究旨在为该国医院生物伦理委员会相关规制的完善与发展提供学术支撑。