In this thesis the work of ethics committees in Croatia is being investigated for the first time. The 1997 Law on Health Protection introduced legal standards for the establishment of the so-called 'mixed' type of ethics committees in healthcare institutions. Our study aims to examine whether this top-down approach of ethics committee implementation was the right approach for Croatia and what the consequences of this approach were for the work and formation of ethics committees. The investigation is focused on the types of committees, the functions they perform in their everyday work, their membership structure. Special emphasis has been placed on the analysis of ethics committees in healthcare institutions, especially hospitals. Data was collected using questionnaires. The findings show that in the European countries in transition, like Croatia, the healthcare system has a bureaucratic climate and approach. Ethics committees in such a climate are bureaucratically constituted entities whose functions mainly comprise the analyzing of research protocols. The members of hospital ethics committees tend to have insufficient knowledge of ethical issues as well as a paternalistic approach. Ignoring human relationships and treating patients insufficiently as persons can strain both the providers and users of healthcare, creating unresolved issues and tensions as well as ethical problems. Possible solutions and approaches in ethics committees' education for transitional societies with special emphasis on Croatian healthcare system are discussed. It also provides recommendations for further improvement of the work of ethics committees in Croatia. Possible changes in policies and legal frameworks are also discussed.

Contains fulltext : 30203_ethicoinc.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

RU Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, 04 september 2007

Promotores : Have, H.A.M.J. ten, Orescovic, S.

123 p.