Following up Following up The consultant should attempt to see the patient again the day after the initial consultation. Several reasons support close follow-up.
Cases change quickly, and different ethical issues can arise literally overnight.
A family member could arrive on the scene and provide information that could not be obtained previously. Case follow-up enables the consultant to review and revise the assessment and recommendations, correct mistakes, sign the dictated or otherwise recorded report, and place references in the medical record. When patients are in the hospital for long periods of time, it is not necessary to see them daily, but the consultant can keep in touch with the patient's primary physician. Knowing the medical and personal details of the patient's case, the ethics consultant can offer timely and relevant counsel. In this way, dated and superfluous hypotheses can be avoided.