Shared Document for Healthcare Ethics Planning in the Clinical Ethics Consultation

Abstract

The article deals with the “Shared Document for Healthcare Ethics Planning” (SD), a decision-making support tool - used by the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service (SCEC) of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli” IRCCS (FPG) in Rome. This particular kind of CEC is able to face with the needs both of physician / patient (and his/her family) relationship and the appropriate respect for the autonomy of the subjects involved. After recalling the inspiring concepts of “advance care planning” and “shared decision-making”, the article deals with the peculiar characteristics of the SD, including the analysis of the context, the relational methodology, the personalisation of the case, the interdisciplinary assessment, the impact on the patient and his/her family, the processing time as well as the benefits connected to it. Lastly, the article dwells on the case history of the SDs provided by SCEC-FPG. A retrospective survey has been carried out to examine SDs drawn up since the Service began its activities, from 1992 to the present day. The survey compared SDs with the overall requested and carried out CECs, identifying the clinical areas for which SDs were drawn up as well.