Ethics, as a general field of study, looks at the value of certain actions as good or bad. Narrowly, ethics deals with particular dilemmas and asks questions about what is the best way to resolve those dilemmas. Broadly, it deals with ideals for living a good life. 

Health care ethics can be both narrowly and broadly understood, addressing particular dilemmas that emerge in health care settings as well as ideals such as compassion, justice, and equitable access that might govern the structure of health care as a whole. 

Ethical dilemmas may involve end-of-life issues, justice in the use of limited human and material resources, internal family disputes about the care of loved ones, or legitimate disagreements among health care providers on the ‘best care’ for their patients. Since many of these conflicts arise in the hospital setting, an ethics consultant may help mediate these disputes. The ethics consultants will be guided by their knowledge of ethical principles as these principles apply to the specific conflict while placing the values and goals of each patient as most important.

Ethical principles which serve as guides to best practices in health care include respect for a person’s autonomy to make their own decisions about treatments, the pledge of providers to do what’s best for the patient and to minimize the risk of harm, and to promote the equitable distribution of resources among persons and populations whose health is compromised by injustice.

The Institute for Health Care Ethics intends to promote a better understanding of ethics as it emerges in health care. Since health care is something that touches everyone, our audience is everyone: doctors, nurses, medical students, and patients. Different resources that we develop are appropriately tailored to different audiences.

Our website currently provides online courses for health care professionals and students. We are in the process of developing similar modules that can be used by patients and community members. In addition to online courses, we also give in-person presentations in the Western New York community for a variety of needs. If you're interested in an in-person presentation, please contact us.

Health care in the U.S. is currently dysfunctional in a number of ways. Part of the explanation for this is the way in which ethics may be an afterthought in the health care system rather than something infused with all of health care. A better understanding of health care ethics can begin to turn things around. We provide accessible learning materials in a format that fits the busy, modern lifestyle.

No. An understanding of health care ethics by patients and their families can be beneficial and can affect the quality of care received. For example, patients can avoid a number of fraught ethical dilemmas by designating a health care proxy to make decisions, if the patient himself is unable to make medical decisions. Moreover, although many people do not know this, patients can request an ethics consult in a hospital for a particularly difficult decision or if there is tension with a provider or among family members.

No. But many larger hospitals which offer complex care, such as with trauma and intensive care units, do find that having a skilled ethics consultant facilitates dispute resolution and helps the hospital with its mission.

The Joint Commission requires hospital leadership to have a way for ethical questions or disputes to be resolved. In addition some state laws dealing with surrogacy at the end of life require referral to the hospital ethics committee.

An accessible, well-informed ethics consultation service, using a hospital’s nursing, physician, or chaplaincy personnel has been shown to improve overall patient care and may complement a hospital’s risk management department.