Medical & Surgical Decisions in Critically Ill Patients: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Challenging Ethical Issues

This program focuses on the complex Medical & Surgical Decisions in Critically Ill Patients and explores cross-cultural perspectives on challenging ethical issues. The event is co-organised by the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, The University of Chicago, with collaborations from the Medical Ethics and Humanities Unit, HKUMed and the CUHK Centre for Bioethics.

Clinical and Ethical Challenges in Modern Medicine

The discussion addresses critical topics such as Futility in Contemporary Medical Care and the Use of Advanced Neuro-technologies in Managing Patients with Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness. Additionally, the sessions examine the Use of AI in Medical Care and Physician-Patient Relationship and Ethical Issues in the Treatment of a Common Condition in Hospitalized Patients.

Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Advance Planning

A significant portion of the discourse is dedicated to Exploring Advance Directives Across Asia and the Ethical and Cultural Issues in Advance Care Planning in Chinese Communities. Healthcare professionals examine Critical Moments: Challenges and Opportunities for End-of-Life Care in Acute Care Settings and the professional necessity of Talking About Death in the Acute Hospital Setting.

Methodologies for Clinical Ethics

Ethics case discussion has become a valuable tool to deal with moral conflicts in hospitals. The 4-step approach for structuring the course of an ethics case discussion is presented as a valuable tool for healthcare professionals. Furthermore, moral case deliberations and the role of the ethics facilitator are regarded as useful and were evaluated as (very) positive in clinical settings.

Other frameworks include the Lanza Foundation Protocol, which provides a detailed grid for analyzing and tackling the ethical components of clinical cases, and Bioethics Mediation: A Guide to Shaping Shared Solutions. These communication strategies assist healthcare professionals to identify and resolve the discord in clinical settings.

Programme Rundown and Key Presentations

• 8:45-9:15AM: Futility in Contemporary Medical Care – Peter Angelos, MD, PhD
• 9:15-9:45AM: Use of Advanced Neuro-technologies in Managing Patients with Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness – Gilberto Leung, MD, PhD
• 9:45-10:15AM: Ethical Issues in the Treatment of a Common Condition in Hospitalized Patients – Micah Prochaska, MD
• 10:45-11:15AM: Exploring Advance Directives Across Asia – Daisy Cheung, LLB, BCL
• 1:00-1:30PM: Critical Moments: Challenges and Opportunities for End-of-Life Care in Acute Care Settings – Emmanuel Cheung, MBBS
• 1:30-2:00PM: Addressing Healthcare Access and Bias through Quality Improvement – Michael Millis, MD
• 2:00-2:30PM: Ethical and Cultural Issues in Advance Care Planning in Chinese Communities – Helen Chan, PhD
• 3:00-3:30PM: Talking About Death in the Acute Hospital Setting – Wai-Tat Wong, FRCP
• 3:30-4:00PM: Use of AI in Medical Care and Physician-Patient Relationship – Ruiping Fan, PhD

Organizational Context

Institutional factors and value prioritization among members of hospital ethics committees play a role in moral reasoning. Resources like the Handbook for Health Care Ethics Committees address the myriad responsibilities that ethics committees have, including education, case consultation, and policy development.