Ethics services
Our role is to support you in identifying, analyzing, and resolving ethical issues.
Clinical and organizational consultation
An individual Ethicist and/or the VCH Regional Ethics Committee is available for consultation to help address an ethical question or concern. Our role is to help guide discussions, explore options, and make recommendations to support you in the decision-making process.
This service is free, confidential, and available to patients, clients, residents, substitute decision makers, and health care providers.
We use an ethical decision-making framework to help guide our decision-making process.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is ethics?
Many health-care decisions and practices involve ethics and values.
Ethics help us decide the best action to take or the best decision for the situation. Ethics explores the values involved and available options.
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What does an ethics consultation do?
- Name the ethical questions and issues
- Assist in understanding ethical approaches to care
- Identify and help balance conflicting interests
- Provide input to care plans
- Uphold the organization's missions and values
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What are examples of ethics issues?
- Helping determine who is the decision maker
- Listening to the patient’s wishes and values
- Respecting privacy
- Addressing cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs and creating a safe space
- Addressing differences of opinions
Contact Ethics Services
Other resources
For Research Ethics inquiries, please contact:
For concerns over the quality of patient care, please contact: