Hackensack Meridian Bioethics Institute
What Is Bioethics?
Bioethics is a multidisciplinary field of study and practice that articulates and examines values and commitments underlying decisions made in the healthcare setting. Ethical issues may relate to life and death, cure and comfort, truth telling and trust, or any other circumstance central to patient care, research, and health professions education. The concerns of bioethics include the well-being and dignity of the patient; the preferences, values, rights, responsibilities, and choices of the patient, the people involved with the patient’s care, and the care team; matters of fairness and access to care; and the ethical conduct of clinical research.
Bioethics is about actions, behaviors, and ways of thinking that healthcare professionals exhibit routinely, whether they call them “bioethics.” For example, bioethics is relevant to actions that protect the confidentiality of patients’ medical information, ensure that patients are given the opportunity to complete advance directives, and create a care environment that promotes patient dignity and comfort.
Request a Bioethics Consult
Request a Bioethics Consultation service by calling the operator at the Hackensack Meridian Health hospital or the Bioethics Institute at 551-996-4179.
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Who We Are
At Hackensack Meridian Bioethics Institute, we advance human-centered health care through multidisciplinary collaboration and bioethics leadership, education, consultation, and scholarship. We envision a healthcare system where every interaction honors the dignity, values, and voices of every individual, with connection and respect as essential elements of care delivered with compassion, courage, and integrity.Our team at the Hackensack Meridian Health Bioethics Institute is composed of dedicated, full-time professionals who embed ethical principles into the fabric of our health system. Under the leadership of the Vice President of Bioethics, our Directors of Bioethics are on the front lines in our hospitals, leading clinical ethics consultations and working directly with patients and care teams to honor their values during difficult moments. To ensure we innovate responsibly, the team also includes a Director of AI Ethics and Quality, who provides crucial expertise on the ethical implications of new technologies in healthcare. As a cohesive unit, these bioethicists partner with physicians, nurses, and our hospital Bioethics Committees to ensure every patient is treated with dignity and respect.
Each hospital in the Hackensack Meridian Health network has a Bioethics Committee, which is a multidisciplinary group that includes a full-time bioethicist, physicians and advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, patient experience advisors, chaplains, administrators, community members, and others.
The Bioethics Committee provides a forum for discussion about ethical issues that arise in healthcare and for education and policy review.
Healthcare often involves complex decisions that can raise ethical questions for patients, families, and care teams. At Hackensack Meridian Health, Bioethics Consultants are available to help clarify and address these concerns. Common issues include decision-making for patients who cannot speak for themselves, conflicts between care preferences and medical recommendations, questions about life-sustaining treatments, and how to respect cultural or religious beliefs in a medical setting.
Consultations are available at no cost to patients, loved ones, surrogate decision-makers, clinicians, and anyone involved in the patient’s care. To request a consultation, call your hospital operator or contact the Bioethics Institute directly at 551-996-4179, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm. During evenings and weekends, reach the on-call consultant through the hospital operator.
Each consultation begins with a conversation to understand the concern, followed by a review of the medical situation and input from the care team. When appropriate, a broader discussion may be convened with the patient (if possible), their representatives, and members of the hospital’s Bioethics Committee.
What We Do
Recognizing that these matters are especially important to those who give and receive care, Hackensack Meridian Health provides team members, clinicians, patients, and those involved with the patient’s care access to bioethics guidance in making difficult decisions.
The members of the HMH Bioethics Institute provide:
- Clinical bioethics consultation
- Educate medical students, residents, and team members
- Host forums for discussion of ethical issues
- Collaborate with other disciplines
- Participate on medical center committees and projects
- Write and review policies
- Participate in the HMH Institutional Review Board, which is responsible for the responsible conduct of human subjects research; and provide leadership and education at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.