Review the common functions of an ethics committee found in the chapter. Explain and defend why decision-making is not one of the functions

Ethics committees play an important role in health care (policy and procedure development, educational role, case consultant, retrospective case review). These are especially important functions during times of crisis and disagreement. It is not their role to insert themselves directly into the actual practice of the case, because this would have a chilling effect on the general acceptance of the committee, interfere in the patient-provider relationship, and also cloud the important consulting role of the committee.