Which of the following most accurately describes the function of ethics committees when clinical dilemmas arise?

• A. They enforce legal action against clinicians.
• B. They provide personal opinions without review.
• C. They review cases and advise on moral dilemma resolution, protecting patients and supporting clinicians.
• D. They decide patient outcomes.

Answer: (C)

When clinical dilemmas arise, ethics committees function as advisory bodies that review cases and help resolve moral conflicts. They bring together diverse perspectives—medicine, nursing, social work, and ethics—to examine the ethical dimensions at stake, such as autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Their goal is to protect patients by ensuring decisions reflect patient values and welfare, while also supporting clinicians by providing a structured, reasoned, and defensible path forward. They do not enforce legal action, offer unreviewed personal opinions, or make binding patient outcomes themselves; instead, they issue informed recommendations that guide decisions made by the care team, patients, and families within legal and institutional policy. They may also educate and help develop policies to prevent future dilemmas.