Activities & Initiatives

The work of the National Center for Ethics in Health Care (NCEHC) is founded on the premise that ethical health care practices are an essential component of health care quality. We support clinical, organizational, and research ethics.

The NCEHC oversees national initiatives including IntegratedEthics and Electronic Support for Patient Decisions (iMed Consent) 

• provides ethics consultation to VHA leaders and field-based ethics programs
• develops and analyzes national policy relating to ethics in health care
• produces reports on ethical issues through the National Ethics Committee 
• publishes regular newsletters and other communications
• offers educational programs including National Ethics Teleconferences 

The NCEHC convened a work group consisting of VA and outside experts to examine the question of whether veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder should be considered a vulnerable population for the purpose of applying guidelines for the protection of human subjects in research. The Final Report from the work group can be accessed here  . 

Note: for NCEHC products related to pandemic influenza preparedness click here.