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Bioethics Consult Service

Department of Bioethics

The Bioethics Consultation Service offers discussion and analysis of ethical questions and issues that arise at the NIH.

Bioethics consults can be called by anyone connected with the NIH Clinical Center, including patients, families, investigators, physicians, nurses, administrators, and social workers. Consults can also be called by anyone who works in the NIH intramural or extramural programs.

Calling a Consult

The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

  • Call the page operator (301-496-1211) and ask to be connected to the Bioethics Consult Service;
  • Put an order for a Bioethics Consult into the Clinical Research Information System (CRIS);
  • During business hours, call the Department of Bioethics (301-496-2429).

Research participants and their families can ask someone on the research team or clinical staff to contact the consultation service if they do not want to call directly.

Consult Process

Consults are usually performed by a small team comprised of members of the Department of Bioethics, in collaboration with the Clinical Center Ethics Committee.

Consultations can take various forms, including a phone call, an in-person discussion, or a larger meeting.

Information gathered in ethics consultations is kept confidential, unless consultants are required by law or institutional policy to break confidentiality. Individuals who feel uncomfortable requesting a consultation may ask for an anonymous consultation, although complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

Common consult questions include:

  • Ethical questions on how to design and conduct clinical trials.
  • Ethical questions that arise in the care of individual research participants.
  • Questions about whether an individual is capable of providing informed consent to clinical care or research.

If you are unsure whether your question is within the scope of the Bioethics Consult Service, please contact the consult team and they will help or refer you to other resources.

Commonly Used Forms