Clinical Ethics Consultation and Research Ethics Consultation: A Call for Italy

Clinical ethics and Research ethics consultation services can represent a valuable resource for institutions engaged in biomedical research, but data from the literature show that in the U.S. the average number of requests for clinical ethics consultation is 3 per year, while in Europe results showed an infrequent use of the available services. With the twofold purpose to demonstrate the undervaluing of Clinical and research ethics consultation services in Italy and the need to implement and evaluate institutional bodies with this goal, we recently conducted a national structured survey aimed at investigating the role of ethics consultations, both in clinical and research practice. Our findings can also show the difference between Southern European countries and the U.S. in the perception of ethics consultation services and the need for a specific organizational framework for them.