Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee can offer guidance on difficult decisions that may come up during the care and treatment of your child, as well as ethical questions related to St. Jude policies or research.

We help the patient, family members and medical team work through tough decisions together, such as:

• When you are unsure about the right course of care
• When you, your child or medical team can’t agree on a medical decision
• When you are feeling significant distress about a medical decision
• When you need help deciding about allowing your child participate in research

Once a consult is requested, a member of the Ethics Committee will contact you within 24 hours if the issue needs immediate attention. If it is not an urgent matter, it may take 72 hours to one week for a member to schedule a time to talk with you and gather basic information.

During the discussion, you will have the opportunity to share your concerns along with other people involved in your child’s care. Members of the Ethics Committee can help identify who is most affected by the decision and provide an open discussion for those involved. They will guide the conversation to help each person see options from the other person’s viewpoint. The Ethics Committee will not make a decision, but will offer advice during the process.

Who can request a consult from the Ethics Committee?

• Patient
•  Family member or guardian
• Staff member

You can request a clinical ethics consult by emailing ethics@stjude.org.