At the American University Faculty of Medicine, bioethics and medicine join forces for a better patient centered care. With the establishment of the Salim El-Hoss Bioethics and Professionalism Program, clinical ethics started playing an important role both academically and professionally and recently, AUBFM/AUBMC started bedside clinical ethics consultation to further better patient-centered care. Dr. Marianne Majdalani, Director of Pediatric Critical Care has been one of the pioneering physicians who felt bioethics plays a major role at the bedside. According to her, "in order to have a comprehensive and complete evaluation and management of patients, it is necessary for us as physicians to integrate the medical, social, religious, financial and ethical aspects involved in patient care in our daily bedside rounds. This will make us better physicians as well as improve the process and the outcomes in patient care". Dr. Majdalani teaches a unit on ethical issues in pediatrics as part of the Physicians, Patients and Society II (PPS-II) course given to medicine III students. The PPS-II course is coordinated by the founding Director of the SHBPP Dr. Thalia Arawi. To Dr. Arawi who is also the vice-chair of the Medical Center Ethics Committee, clinical bioethics is essential to patient care and all hospitals need to work on developing this discipline as an integral part of healthcare delivery.
