Hospital ethics committees: responsibilities, competencies and challenges

Background: Hospital Ethics Committees (HECs) aim to address complex ethical dilemmas and provide ethical counselling and guidance in hospital and clinical setting. Despite their formal and legalistic authority in Israel, little is known about their actual practices, structure and perceived role by their members. Methods: This qualitative study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of HEC members in Israeli hospitals and the meaning they attach to their roles. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with committee chairs and members with diverse professional and institutional backgrounds in nine hospitals throughout the country. Data were analyzed using thematic coding to identify key patterns and insights. Results: Five major themes emerged: (1 Offering support through decisive means; (2) Committee composition, member characteristics and ethics training; (3) Common ethical issues discussed in the Ethics Committee; (4) Committee’s decisional functioning; and (5) Committee’s relationships with various entities, and the limitations of its operation. Conclusions: HECs in Israel serve a unique dual role as legal and ethical decision-making bodies. While they support clinicians and, to some extent, patients, their potential is hindered by systemic gaps in training, collaboration and engagement. Further research is recommended to explore patient experiences and evaluate committee effectiveness in advancing ethical clinical practice.