Clinical ethics committee

Our attitude

When acting we are always aware of our special responsibility

• to preserve the inviolable human dignity
• to respect each person’s individuality
• to support a self-determined way of life as well as social integration and, thus,
• to take into consideration the needs of society.

Extract from the corporate vision of the "Pfalzklinikum", included in the preamble of the agenda of the clinical ethics committee.

Targets

The ethics committee contributes to realizing the corporate vision of the "Pfalzklinikum".

In particular, responsibility, the right of self-determination, confidence, respect and compassion as lived ethical values shall characterize the decisions and mutual contact.

The ethical committee is a forum for debating difficult questions that are subject of great ethical controversy. It offers the possibility of ethically reflecting upon and coming to terms with subjects and decisions of the fields of medicine, care, organization and economy.

Tasks

• Developing guidelines for patient-oriented actions under special consideration of medical-ethical questions 
• Counselling relatives, patients and residents concerning ethical questions relating to treatment and medical care in the "Pfalzklinikum"
• Counselling all employees of the "Pfalzklinikum" concerning ethical questions relating to treatment and medical care, upon request. Discussion and assessment of individual situations
• Counselling the executive board, the clinical centre’s board of directors and the management of the facilities concerning ethical questions relating to patients’ and residents’ treatment and medical care 
• Sensitizing employees for ethical aspects of their actions
• Encouraging the implementation of ethical principles in the daily work and within the tasks of the respective professional groups. Offering incentives for ethical reflection upon professionalism of all employees of the "Pfalzklinikum", e.g. by means of continuing education and additional professional training
• Attending to ethically relevant questions arising from the context of the history of the "Pfalzklinikum" during the Nazi era. 

The ethics committee is an independent and advisory board. It can draft proposals for principles and guidelines concerning ethical questions.

Data security and privacy

Sessions and meeting records of the clinical ethics committee are confidential. All incidents and data of single situations are anonymized. The regulations on doctor/patient confidentiality and data security and privacy are complied with.

Constitution

The clinical ethics committee is made up of employees of the "Pfalzklinikum" as well as of members having no ties to the "Pfalzklinikum". 

In any case the below mentioned persons - whether male or female - belong to the ethical committee: 

the medical director, an ethicist, a jurist, a hospital pastor, a representative of the associations of relatives, a psychologist, a social worker, a senior physician, two nurses of whom at least one is a senior nurse, an employee of the administration, an employee of the facility management, an employee of the training and education department as well as a representative of the staff council.

The clinical ethics committee has a 4-person executive board. An external participant acts as chairman of the executive board.

Members

Juliane Dohren, Gabriele Feith-Hofe, Birgit Fuchs, Susanne Christ, Ursula Weber Jörg-Uwe Bayerle, Dr. Roland Kupper, Dr. Beate Funk, Joachim Geiling, Ruth Graf, Renate Hösl, Martin Kästle, Michael Klanig, Felix Valentin (prosecutor)

Executive board

N.N. (chairman)
Dorothee Spengler-Katerndahl (vice chairwoman)
Fritz-Stefan Rau

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