Abstract
Ethical problems arising in the hospital have been dealt with among concerned staff up to now. In recent years, installation of ethics committees has increased, but their role is not clear in ethical problems. We conducted the questionnaire based research for the 2164 hospitals certificated by JCQHC (Japan Council for Quality Health Care). By this questionnaire, we asked nursing administrators in each hospital about their awareness and the way to solve the ethical problems. In this questionnaire, 64% of examinees answered, "It is a concern" and 31% answered, "It depends on the person". The ways to solve the ethical problems arising in the hospitals were discussed mainly in the conference at the ward or at the department and were privately talked by staff. It was very rare that the problems were applied for the ethical committee in the hospital. Mainly the doctor's medical treatment plans or research were applied. The consideration and concern about ethical problems, the existance of the place or chance to discuss the ethical problems, the practice of the ethics consultation by ethics committees, led to the resolution and reduction of ethical problems.
