Which group addresses ethical issues in healthcare?

• A. Infection control
• B. Health informatics
• C. Ethics committee
• D. Support services

Answer: (C)

When ethical questions arise in patient care, a formal ethics committee is the resource that provides structured guidance. This multidisciplinary group brings together clinicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, lawyers, and sometimes community representatives to review difficult cases and develop policy guidance. They help ensure decisions respect patient autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, and they provide case consultations, ethics rounds, and Education to the care team.

Why this fits best: ethics committees exist specifically to address ethical issues in healthcare, offering an objective framework to navigate dilemmas such as informed consent, surrogate decision-making, confidentiality, end-of-life decisions, and research ethics. They help balance patient rights with professional responsibilities and hospital policies.

Infection control focuses on preventing infections and protecting patient safety; health informatics centers on data management, privacy, and information systems; support services provide nonclinical assistance and advocacy but do not serve as the formal body for resolving ethical questions in clinical care.