Table 4.
Details on evaluation and terminology
| No. | Evaluated function | Measured aspects | Evaluation tool/s | Terms indicating effectiveness (recurrence) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEC in general | Perceived helpfulness; satisfaction | Survey + interviews |
Effectiveness (1); Performance (2); Usefulness (1) |
| 2 | Ethics consultation | Satisfaction, change in knowledge, in patient care, in length of stay and in intensity of treatment | Survey |
Helpfulness (1); Performance (9); Success (1) |
| 3 | Ethics consultation | Perceived helpfulness | Survey |
Effectiveness (5); Helpfulness (1) |
| 4 | CEC in general | Perceived effectiveness; satisfaction | Survey |
Effectiveness (5); Impact (2); Usefulness (2) |
| 5 | Ethics consultation | Perceived effectiveness | Survey |
Effectiveness (19); Helpfulness (1) |
| 6 | Ethics consultation | Perceived usefulness | Semi-structured interviews |
Impact (1); Success (1); Usefulness (3) |
| 7 | CEC in general | Satisfaction | Survey |
Effectiveness (1); Success (46) |
| 8 | CEC in general | Mission clarification; CEC authority; composition; appropriate set of regulations and procedures; efficient follow-up procedures | (not applicable) |
Effectiveness (19); Efficiency (5); Performance (2); Success (3) |
| 9 | Ethics consultation | Satisfaction | Semi-structured interviews |
Helpfulness (2); Usefulness (2) |
| 10 | Ethics consultation | Perceived effectiveness; satisfaction | Semi-structured interviews | Effectiveness (3) |
| 11 | CEC in general | Perceived effectiveness | Survey |
Effectiveness (7); Impact (1); Usefulness (1) |
| 12 | CEC in general | Perceived effectiveness | Interviews |
Effectiveness (4); Helpfulness (4) |
| 13 | CEC in general | Institutional acceptance; consensus within CEC’s members | (Not applicable) |
Impact (1); Success (38); Usefulness (1) |
| 14 | Ethics consultation | Perceived helpfulness | Survey |
Efficacy (7); Helpfulness (6); Usefulness (1) |
| 15 | Ethics consultation | Adoption of systematic approach | Qualitative analysis of reports | Usefulness (1) |
| 16 | CEC in general | CEC transparency; method of case deliberation; members’ participation in discussions; n. of recommendations followed; degree of compliance with accreditation rules | (Not applicable) |
Effectiveness (2); Helpfulness (1); Success (4); Usefulness (2) |
| 17 | CEC in general | Perceived effectiveness; satisfaction | Survey |
Effectiveness (16); Impact (13); Success (1) |
| 18 | Ethics consultation | No days required to complete consult; percentage of recommendations followed; patient outcome | Descriptive statistics on data + qualitative analysis on case reports |
Efficacy (1); Impact (2); Success (1); Usefulness (1) |
| 19 | CEC in general | Extent of CECs self-evaluation | Survey |
Effectiveness (9); Efficacy (1); Efficiency (1); Performance (4); Success (4) |
| 20 | Ethics consultation | Perceived impact; change in patient management | Semi-structured interview + revision of medical charts |
Impact (14); Success (1); Usefulness (1) |
| 21 | Ethics consultation | Satisfaction | Survey |
Helpfulness (9); Success (2); Usefulness (10) |
| 22 |
Ethics consultation Policy development |
Perceived impact | Survey + anecdotal evidence |
Effectiveness (1); Impact (1); |
| 23 | CEC in general | No of developed guidelines; no of requests for educational programs; no of requests for case consultation; change in patient management | Survey |
Effectiveness (11); Impact (5); Success (49); Usefulness (2) |
| 24 | Policy development | Perceived impact | Anecdotal evidence |
Effectiveness (2); Efficiency (1); Helpfulness (5); Impact (3); Success (16); Usefulness (4) |
| 25 | Ethics consultation | Adherence to international standards | Survey | Impact (1) |
| 26 | Ethics consultation | Efficacy of the adoption of an online system for case discussion | Analysis of reports |
Impact (2); Performance (1); Success (1) |
| 27 | Ethics consultation | Method of deliberation | Observation + Semi-structured interviews | Impact (1) |
| 28 | Ethics consultation | Usefulness; satisfaction; time spent on discussion | Qualitative analysis on reports |
Performance (1); Usefulness (2) |
| 29 | CEC in general | Perceived helpfulness; change in patient management | Survey |
Helpfulness (48); Efficacy (1) |