We look after the safeguard of the human dignity and integrity in all activities developed in IPO Lisboa, with emphasis on the scientific research involving trials with human beings.

It is incumbent on the Ethics Committee to comment on:

. Scientific research protocols regarding diagnosis or therapeutics trials and experimental techniques involving human beings or their biological products.

. Requests of authorization to carry out clinical trials and to supervise their implementation, guaranteeing the ethical, safety and integrity aspects of the subjects of the clinical trials.

. The suspension or revocation of the authorization to carry out clinical trials.

The Ethics Committee can be required to issue opinions by the Board of Directors and IPO health professionals, the patients or their representatives through the Board of Directors.

Headed by the chairman of the Board of Directors, it is in charge with guaranteeing the compliance with the quality and safety standards provided for in the law and to propose new guidelines in this area.

Carrying out studies, audits and surveys enable us to follow up and control the implementation of the annual action plan of quality, as well as to set out the patients’ quality and safety indicators and health outcomes.

We coordinate the clinical risk management and the patients’ safety policy with all the intervening parties, we promote the professionals’ involvement and training in the quality and clinical risk management areas and we monitor the various certification and accreditation processes.

It consists of six physicians and pharmacists, in parity, one of the physicians being the clinical director, who chairs the committee. The purchase of medicinal products which are not on the national formulary of medicinal products (FHNM) or the introduction of new products depend on the opinion of this committee made up of physicians and pharmacists.

We have prepared a private formulary of medicinal products for the hospital, which is the result of the evaluation made from comparing the FHNM with the specific reality of the IPO. We also give advice on the budget for medicinal products, govern and evaluate their consumption. We can also give our opinion, in accordance with the rules of ethics, on the correctness of treatments prescribed to patients

To prevent and control hospital infection and to promote the good use of antibiotics aiming at avoiding antimicrobial resistances are some of our tasks.

The group comprises doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health technicians. We must guarantee the compliance with the programs of epidemiological surveillance of healthcare associated infections and resistance to antibiotics, to promote and correct infection prevention and control practices, such as hand hygiene, the use of personal protection equipment and environmental control.

It is our duty to guarantee the local practices of isolation to contain multi-resistant agents and ensure the rational management of the resources, according to risk priorities management.

To correct antibiotic use practices, both for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes, we implement a programme to assist the prescription of antibiotics.

We cooperate in the notification process of compulsory notifiable diseases.

The so-called «medical radiation» (ionising radiations and non-ionising radiations) requires the application of strict rules of protection and safety. This unit is responsible for guaranteeing that all rules are complied with.

The unit helps the Board of Directors regarding the protection of workers, patients and the public in all aspects concerning radiations.

We rely on three hospital physicists and a doctor of the health and occupational safety service.