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Integrated Ethics
What is IntegratedEthics?
VHA established the IntegratedEthics program as a national education and organizational change initiative that provides a comprehensive approach to ethics in health care. IntegratedEthics is designed to improve ethics quality across VHA.
VISN7 PROGRAM OFFICERS
- ATLANTA- RENE FLAGG 404 -321-6111 (7575)
- AUGUSTA-MARIE ANDREWS – 706-823-2238 (2508)
- BIRMINGHAM-ALLISON HAWLEY – 205-933-8101 (6878)
- CAVHCS – ANDREA MENYHERT – 334-727-0550 (3296)
- CHARLESTON-JACKIE MCGEE – 843-789-7203
- COLUMBIA –SHARON OTT – 803-776-4000 (7688)
- DUBLIN-AUDREY ANDREWS – 478-272-1210 (3133)
- TUSCALOOSA-LANE ULTEE – 205-554-2000 (2640)
Ethics quality encompasses health care practices at three levels:
- decisions and actions
- systems and processes
- environment and culture
An effective ethics program must do three things well:
- respond to ethics concerns on a case by case basis
- address ethics issues on a systems level
- foster an environment and culture that is conducive to ethical practice
VISN 7's IntegratedEthics program achieves these goals through the three core functions listed below.
Ethics Consultation
The overall goal of health care ethics consultation is to improve health care quality by facilitating resolution of ethics concerns that arise in health care. By providing for a forum for discussion and a method of careful analysis, effective ethics consulation:
- Promotes health care practices consistent with high ethical standards
- Helps to foster consensus and resolve conflict in an atmosphere of respect
- Honors participants' authority and values in the decision-making process
- Educates participants to handle current and future ethics concerns
Preventive Ethics
This component analyzes and resolves systems issues that are referred by individuals or groups concerned about patient rights or ethics in the provision of health care.
Ethical Leadership
Ethical Leadership calls on health care leaders to:
- make clear through their words and actions that ethics is a priority
- to communicate clear expectations for ethical practice
- to practice ethical decision making
- to support their facility's local integrated ethics program
The ethical leadership function employs specific evaluation tools for leaders to use to assess and monitor the facility status with respect to health care ethics, identify opportunities for improvement, and measure the results of ongoing efforts to improve health care ethics quality.
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