Ethics committees and conflicts in modern medicine

Abstract

The paper analyses the processes of formation and development of hospital ethics committees in developed countries. Organizational, ethical, and legal aspects of ethics committees in clinical practice are assessed. Functional and structural features of the Western model of hospital ethics committees are identified, as well as research methodology of operation of hospital ethics committees abroad. At the present stage, it is possible to define American and European models of ethics committees, the key differences between them being their socio-legal status and certain peculiarities of their operation due to state-specific legal regulations. While widely used and sought for in the West, the system of hospital ethics committees in Russia is still in its infancy. Meanwhile, formation of hospital-level committees is an objective necessity due to the severity of moral conflicts in clinical practice.