Yesterday saw the launch of the book For a Bioethics Culture. Casebook 2010–2021, prepared by the Clinical Ethics Committee of Hospital Clínic and edited by the Hospital, the Chair of Legal Medicine, Professional Responsibility and Clinical Safety of the University of Barcelona, and the Barcelona College of Physicians. The volume brings together real ethical dilemmas experienced in clinical practice and discussed by the committee over eleven years.
The event took place in the Assembly Hall of the Barcelona College of Physicians (CoMB) and featured Elvira Bisbe, president of the CoMB; Josep Maria Campistol, general director of the Clínic; Ferran Masanés, president of the Clínic’s Clinical Ethics Committee and of the Research Ethics Committee of the CoMB; and Magda Campins, president of the CoMB’s Deontology Commission.
A tool for ethical reflection in healthcare
Coordinated by Ferran Masanés and Ferran Céspedes, former secretary of the Clínic’s Clinical Ethics Committee, the book presents 16 real clinical cases evaluated by the committee between 2010 and 2021. Each case includes a clinical summary, the ethical dilemma posed, the bioethical reasoning, and the committee’s recommendations. The situations address topics such as assisted reproduction in consanguineous couples, the right not to know in genetic contexts, confidentiality of sensitive data, euthanasia requests, and decision-making in contexts of vulnerability such as mental health or severe dependency.
The volume also includes two documents developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering recommendations on the adequacy of life-support treatments and the loneliness of hospitalized patients during visitation restrictions.
Bioethics for professionals and society
Bioethics is a discipline that helps address the dilemmas inherent to healthcare practice from a plural, reflective, and humanistic perspective. As explained in the book, its purpose is not only to educate professionals but also to share knowledge with the wider public, to whose benefit it is ultimately dedicated. “Through this publication, the Clínic’s Ethics Committee aims to promote a shared bioethical culture based on transparency, deliberation, and respect for individual values,” says Ferran Masanés.
The cases are written with an educational intent, designed to encourage accessible and thoughtful reading. Although the situations are real, identifying details have been modified to preserve the confidentiality of the patients and professionals involved.
A publication with educational and outreach purpose
The book serves as a valuable tool for training in bioethics, supporting clinical decision-making, and reflecting on the values guiding healthcare delivery.
As highlighted by Dr. Josep Terés Quiles in the foreword, “the need for ethical analysis extends not only to experimentation but also to everyday clinical activity.” The book demonstrates how ethical deliberation can assist in making complex decisions in real clinical contexts and how such reflections can enrich professional practice and public debate.
With this initiative, Hospital Clínic reaffirms its commitment to person-centred care that respects diverse values and encourages critical reflection.
