HOSPITAL ETHICS COMMITTEES AND NURSES PARTICIPATION

The hospital ethics committee's mandates of patient care review, polic y formation, and education make them central to nurses and healthcare delivery. In a study examining nurses' communication exchange frequenc y and perceived effectiveness as members of hospital ethics committees , nurses represented the largest proportion, were moderately active, a nd rated their participation effectiveness the highest; they are more involved in discussions regarding patients than policy formation and e ducation. Nurse administrators can provide strategies and education fo r nurses that enhance nurses' participation in all three committee fun ctions. Policies affect patient care; therefore, policy decisions, too , benefit from nurses' participation.