What describes the role of an ethics committee?

• A. Addresses ethical dilemmas in healthcare settings
• B. Randomly assigns tasks to staff
• C. Develops care plans for chronic diseases
• D. Sets legal limits for nursing assistants

Answer: (A)

Ethics committees exist to help navigate tough moral questions that arise in patient care. They review cases, discuss options, and provide guidance to the care team to honor patient values and rights while considering medical realities, quality of life, and resource implications. They help balance patient autonomy with beneficence and non-maleficence, support informed consent, protect confidentiality, and can mediate disputes among patients, families, and providers. They don’t randomly assign tasks, don’t develop routine chronic-disease care plans, and don’t set legal limits for nursing assistants; laws and facility policies govern those areas. So focusing on addressing ethical dilemmas in healthcare settings best describes their role.