Ethics Committee Resources
Ethics committees are organized groups that strive to respect
and uphold moral values within the healthcare sector.
Typically
comprised of a diverse group of members from varying
backgrounds,
the functions of these committees are generally: ethics
education,
policy development and review, and clinical ethics
consultation.
The following pages outline some web-based resources for
ethics
committees, to assist members in becoming informed on some aspects
of health ethics.
Here you will find a general introduction to bioethics
and healthcare ethics, featuring general interest and educational
bioethics links.
This
site explains the overall structure and function of ethics committees,
with links to sample terms of reference documents of various committees,
and information of committee membership guidelines.
Offers
a "how to" look at ethics consultations, with links to practical
guidelines for conducing a consultation and sample committee protocols.
Focuses
on current events and common ethical issues faced in the healthcare
sector.
This page is a directory of Alberta Ethics Committee
contacts, as well as a collection of links to Ethics Committee Networks
across North America.
Introduction to Ethics
The resources on this page are organized into categories
to facilitate your introduction to bioethics and healthcare ethics.
The general resources illustrate a snapshot of the roles that bioethics
and moral decision making play in society, while the education links
offer an opportunity to explore bioethics on a more intensive level.
General Ethics Resources
Features a link to a "Bioethics for Beginners" section under “PENN
and External Links.”
Resource page for Canadian bioethics
An ethical "toolkit" consisting of an introduction to healthcare
ethics, common discussion subjects, and a basic list of bioethics resources.
Ethical Decision Making
Appendix A of this manual has a decision making strategy tailored to addressing
ethical issues. Includes case study examples.
Numerous links to moral decision making models.
Ethics Education Opportunities
A comprehensive introductory bioethics course that you can participate in from
the convenience of your home or office.
Upcoming conferences and seminars offered by PHEN.
Half or full day workshops offered to Alberta organizations and designed to
foster communication.
Seminars offered by the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.
Ethics Committees
Below, you will find a collection of websites helpful
in examining the role of ethics committees, the terms of reference,
and committee membership guidelines.
General
A general introduction to ethics committees, discussing the purposes and membership
structure.
An online manual produced by the University of Buffalo Center for Clinical
Ethics and Humanities in Health Care.
A brief PowerPoint presentation highlighting certain obstacles ethics committees
may face.
A guide for effective participation on ethics committees.
Terms of Reference
This document outlines the terms of reference for the Hospital/Medical Staff
Ethics Committee, and Pediatric Ethics Committee. Also contains information
on various ethical policies implemented by the hospital.
This document is produced by the World Health Organization, and concentrates
primarily on ethical committees that review research proposals.
Membership Guidelines
This document outlines some guidelines for selecting committee members.
A site which discusses the inclusion of chaplains on ethics committees, as
an authority to address spiritual issues. The article is found on the "Resources" page,
under the heading "Bioethics".
Evaluation
Ethics Committee Evaluation
An excellent set of questions for use in evaluating your ethics committee.
Ethics Consultation
Ethics consultation provides an opportunity for ethics
committee members to discuss morally acceptable solutions with individuals
faced with ethical issues. This exchange of information relies upon
pragmatic, structured communication. The links on this page are organized
to assist ethics committee members in preparing and conducting effective
consultations.
Introduction to Ethics Consultations
Summarizes common issues in ethics consultations, and situations when consultations
should be requested.
Part Two of this report focuses on the nature, structure, and goals of consultations,
and also highlights the core skill and knowledge bases that a consultation
committee should possess.
Organizing a Consultation
This site offers a comprehensive guide to informed ethical decision making,
and a recommended template for organizing consultation discussion.
The first chapter of the book Ethics Consultation: A Practical Guide, by John
La Puma and David Schiedermayer. This page features an extensive guide to performing
consultations, outlining the process from the request to the follow-up procedures.
Summarizes common issues in ethics consultations, and situations when consultations
should be requested.
Outlines a general procedure for arranging and organizing the consultation
process, followed by the University of Virginia Health System.
Ethics Consultation Protocols
Ethics Issues
View a listing of the books and videos available for loan through the PHEN
offices.
A guide to health ethics videos available in Alberta, organized by topic.
Access over 12 million MEDLINE citations for various life science journal articles.
Under the "limits" heading, select the subset "bioethics" to
conduct a search restricted to bioethics.
A free, searchable database of bioethics literature.
Lists links to websites with information of various healthcare ethics topics
and issues.
Current Affairs
PHEN Website
PHEN's homepage has links to bioethics news articles updated weekly
Extensive bioethics site with a dedicated "Bioethics in the News" section
MSNBC coverage of bioethics news.
The Provincial Health Ethics Network's monthly internal newsletter.
A non-academic periodical focused on health ethics issues relevant to Albertans
and Canadians. (Formerly the Bioethics Bulletin)
The University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics' quarterly newsletter.
The University of Pennsylvania Bioethics Center's quarterly newsletter.
Ethics Contacts
Alberta Ethics Committees
exist within health institutions, usually for
the purpose of coordinating ethics education activities, providing
consultation on ethics issues, providing ethics review of institutional
policy, or a combination of the three.
, often called Institutional Review Boards in the
United States, exist to conduct prospective review of health research
to ensure that human subjects are adequately protected.
Ethics Centres
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