For some, it might be as a loved one enters the final stages of a terminal disease or as a patient considers the appropriateness of a major medical intervention. For others, it might be as they complete a Healthcare Proxy or Living Will. To assist patients, families, and care providers in making these complex decisions, Albany Medical Center offers a free Ethics Consultation Service. By helping people resolve the ethical dilemmas that modern medicine can present, the Consultation Service strives to maintain the highest ethical standards in the delivery of patient care. The options presented by the Consultation Service are neither institutionally nor legally binding .
All services are completely confidential.
Our Staff Specially trained and qualified medical ethics consultants perform the services. To help identify and address the diverse issues that can develop, the consultants explore the values and concerns of the patient and family. They also draw from the expertise of physicians, nurses, social workers, pastoral care representatives, hospital administration, and legal counsel. When to Request an Ethics Consultation Patients, families, and healthcare providers are encouraged to request the assistance of an ethics consultant when ethical questions arise or when support is needed in making difficult choices. If someone other than the patient initiates the request, th e patient and the attending physician are notified of the concerns.