Bernard Lo(1995) identifies five goals of ethics case consultations. First, the ethics committees can help the healthcare team identify and understand the specific ethical issues the case raises: far example. Cases that involve questions about advance directives, surrogate decision making, or disputes over life-sustaining treatments. Healthcare providers need to think carefully and critically through the ethical issues themselves before they try to resolve disagreements with the patient or family. Second, the ethics committee can suggest how healthcare providers might improve communications with the patient and family. Poor communications and lack of communications among the healthcare providers and members of the team may be a problem that the ethics committee can identify and help resolve. Third, the committee may provide emotional support to the physician, nurses, and other health team members in a case. Fourth, the committee may offer specific recommendations to help resolve the dilemma. Most committees or consultants help the healthcare team analyze the ethical issues and facilitate discussions with patients and families, and then offer specific recommendations for resolving the dilemmas. Finally the committees or consultants have a role in improving patient care. Patient care decisions do not necessarily need to change after consultations, nor is there a mandate that they must change. However, by participating in consultation, healthcare providers, patients and families may feel that their concerns have been ad dressed and they may better understand the rationale for the treatment decision that is being proposed.