Ethics is the study of how to live. Narrowly, it deals with particular dilemmas and asks questions about what to do in 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. At the Institute for Health Care Ethics, we are interested to address both the narrow and broad understandings of health care ethics.

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 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 is 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. Our resources provide positive learning outcomes and are a first step toward a better health care system.

No. Health care providers use their knowledge and understanding of ethics when ethical dilemmas emerge in the care of their patients. However, an understanding of ethics for patients can also 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.

Ethics and ethical principles are important to the health care professions because they promote trust between provider and patient. The provider has knowledge and skills which the patient does not have. So the patient must have trust that the provider will act in his or her best interests. Acting in the patient’s best interest is the principle of beneficence.

Ethical principles which serve as rules or guides to best practices in health care include respect for a person’s autonomy, privacy, a pledge to do no harm (nonmaleficence), and the distribution of resources to bring about justice among persons and populations whose health is compromised.

These guides for actions and decision-making in health care may help reconcile conflicts which arise when persons have values about what is important to them which are not the same as someone else's values in that situation.

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.

It is possible for someone to seek certification as an ethics consultant through programs such as that offered by the American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities. But ethics consultations can also be done by a team of even a few people of different backgrounds who together could provide a reasoned approach to solving an ethical dilemma in their hospital.

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.

Usually someone with a background in nursing or risk management may work with physicians and other providers to gain the knowledge needed for ethics consultations. The courses offered through the Institute for Health Care Ethics can provide that knowledge in an easy to use way.