Clinical Ethics Consultations

Clinical Ethics

Clinical Ethics addresses ethical issues and dilemmas that arise in the care or treatment of patients. Healthcare professionals should consider the specific duties they have to patients, such as those related to confidentiality, disclosure, consent, etc.

Some examples of clinical ethics issues include:

• whether to withdraw or withhold treatments for a patient at end of life
• conflict between a team and family regarding the perceived safety of a discharge plan for a patient
• conflict between members of a healthcare team regarding whether to offer a fragile patient an innovative therapy
• uncertainty regarding whether a patient is competent to refuse needed treatment

The Clinical Ethics Consultation Process

Anyone involved in a patient's care may request support from the Clinical Ethics Consultation Team (CECT), including patients, family members, physicians, staff, and learners. You may email the CECT between 8:00 am-4:00 pm Monday to Friday, if the CECT is contacted outside regular business hours, the requester will be contacted on the next business day.

Regional Ethics Network

In order to meet our clinical ethics needs, BCHS has partnered with the Regional Ethics Network (REN) provided by Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS). The REN trains and supports BCHS clinical ethics consultants. This program is supported by Dr. Julija Kelecevic, who has worked internationally as an emergency room physician and has extensive experience as a Clinical Ethicist in Northern Ontario and Southern Alberta.