Clinical Ethics Consultation’s Dilemma, and a Solution

 

Lisa M. Rasmussen

 

The Journal of Clinical Ethics 22, no. 4 (Winters 2011): 380-92.

 

      Clinical ethics consultation is on the horns of a dilemma. One horn skewers the field for its lack of standards, while the other horn skewers it for proposing arbitrary or deeply contested foundations. I articulate the dilemma by discussing several critiques of the field and the challenge of formulating standards and suggest that the solution lies, at least until a robust consensus emerges, with establishing a list of proscriptive standards to guide the field.