Digital Medical Ethics Network Launches Ethics Consultation Service Brandenburg

Joint media release by the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Potsdam, the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, 17.03.2025

Medical decisions are often connected to difficult ethical questions. When should treatment continue at the end of life? What happens when a patient can’t express their wishes? These situations can be deeply challenging for patients, families, and healthcare staff. In recent years, many hospitals have established ethics consultation services to help navigate complex treatment decisions. However, not all healthcare settings offer these services — and ethical dilemmas aren’t limited to hospitals. They also occur in nursing homes and primary care practices. To help fill this gap, the Junior Professorship for Medical Ethics at the Faculty of Health Sciences has launched Brandenburg’s first remote ethics consultation service.

What Is Ethics Consultation?

“Ethics consultation — or ethical case consultation — is a structured conversation between all parties involved, led by a trained consultant,” explains Professor Robert Ranisch, head of the Junior Professorship for Medical Ethics with a focus on digitalization. “The goal is to work through moral conflicts that can emerge during medical treatment and reach a shared decision that respects health a well-being of patients as well as important ethical values such as autonomy.”

The consultation team is interdisciplinary, combining medical and ethical expertise. It includes ethicists and trained physicians. “Depending on the case, we bring in experts from other fields as needed. Our aim is to give everyone a voice at the table,” says Dr. Joschka Haltaufderheide, who has long studied ethics consultation and is helping lead the new initiative.

Bridging a Gap in Care

Brandenburg has over 50 hospitals and many decentralized healthcare facilities — often in re-mote areas. Local staff may not always be trained to moderate ethical consultations. This some-times makes access to ethics support difficult; and that’s where the Ethics Consultation Brandenburg comes in.

Patients and healthcare workers can now submit inquiries through a central point of contact — either by phone or online. The consultation team follows up, offering on-site support when possible or conducting sessions via video call.

Video consultations make it easier to respond quickly and flexibly. “We hope this new service will help close a critical gap in care here in Brandenburg,” says Dr. Esther Braun, a physician and medical ethicist who coordinates the service and serves as the main point of contact.

The team drew on successful models from across Germany. “We consulted with ethics consultation services nationwide and learned from their experiences,” Braun says. The Brandenburg initiative now enters its pilot phase, with an evaluation planned in one year.

How to Reach the Ethics Consultation Service

The Brandenburg Ethics Consultation Service is part of the Digital Medical Ethics Network, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. The service is now live and can be reached at: https://www.ethikberatung-brandenburg.de

Scientific Contact

Dr. Joschka Haltaufderheide
Junior Professorship for Medical Ethics, Digitalization Focus
Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg
University of Potsdam
Am Mühlenberg 9
14476 Potsdam
Phone: +49 (0)331-977-213830
Email: [email protected]

Media Contact

Antje Horn-Conrad
University of Potsdam/Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg
Press and Public Relations Department
Tel.: +49 331 977-1474
E-Mail: [email protected]

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