must have Skills of ethics consultant
the health care ethics consultant must have the
following "other sorts of skill:"
First, the ethicist should be
a skilled participant-observer, able to identify informal social structures and
arrangements and to assess his or her developing role in them. Second, the
ethicist should understand the dynamics of small group behavior, with an
ability to recognize the interplay between socio-metric structures and
decisional outcomes. Third, the ethicist should be a competent mediator,
familiar with negotiating strategies and having sound interpersonal skills.
Moreover, "the non-physician ethicist must be familiar with the
language of health care in order to be effective.''
In a subsequent article, published in the same
year, "Call Me Doctor? Confessions of a Hospital Philosopher," Moreno adds:
One must be acquainted with
relevant statutory and case law, the institutional structure of the health care
system, the financing of health care, and the prevailing consensus and current
issues in health policy. Some understanding of the economies of health care is
very useful and an appreciation for the sociological and political processes of
the clinical setting is essential. Finally, sound interpersonal skills,
particularly tactfulness and the ability to mediate among deeply felt
differences while honoring them, can vastly enhance the value of the ethics
consultant.
Clearly, Moreno's
description of the ethics consultant improves significantly on earlier
descriptions provided by Singer. Caplan, Ackerman, and others. Further
refinement is nonetheless possible, and the following functional description
ofthe health care ethics consultant is offered in that spirit. This Profile
lists knowledge, abilities, and traits of character for case consultation
(clinical or research), committee consultation (clinical or research), and
policy formulation.
Categories:
health care ethics consultant,
Knowledge Requirements
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