Clinical Services

What is the Consult Service?

The central purpose of bioethics consultation at the Clinical Center is to improve the process and outcomes of clinical care in the research setting by assisting with the identification and analysis of ethical issues. Bioethics consultation is a service provided by the Clinical Center Bioethics Consultation Service (CCBCS) to facilitate discussion, understanding, and analysis of ethical issues in the care of patient subjects or healthy research subjects at the Clinical Center. The CCBCS provides a team of consultants to help research subjects, families or surrogates, physicians, nurses, social workers, pastoral care providers, and anyone else who requests assistance with the resolution of ethical issues. Consultations are performed by an individual consultant, team, or (on exceptional occasions) by the full Ethics Committee. A brochure is available with more information.

To call a consult

Call the Department of Bioethics directly (301.496.2429), or contact the Clinical Center paging operator at 301.496.1211. Research subjects can ask someone in the research team to contact the consultation service, if they do not want to call directly