Objective: To describe the methods used to resolve ethical issues in h
ospitals throughout Australia. Design: A descriptive study from data c
ollected by a questionnaire survey of Australian public and private ho
spitals. Participants: Hospital administrators and employees nominated
by hospital administrators. Results: Completed questionnaires mere re
ceived from 739 (74%) hospitals. Methods used to resolve ethical issue
s included personal reflection, discussion between health professional
s and discussion between health professionals and patients. A variety
of committees were identified as having some role in the discussion of
ethical issues, but only a small number of hospitals had established
ethics committees. Conclusion: Doctor-patient interaction and discussi
on between practitioners are the most common methods used to resolve e
thical issues. Various committees are also used and, of these, ethics
committees are not the most commonly consulted.