Organizational Ethics

Health care organizations require a process of sustaining relationships, settling conflicts and establishing goals based upon chosen and continuously discussed values.”

(Stanley Reiser)

Ethics Nova Scotia Health assists the health authority to address significant, ethics-related organizational matters. As part of this work, Ethics Nova Scotia Health engages with organizational ethics issues in response to requests for organizational ethics consultation. Importantly, it also addresses organizational ethics issues in a proactive manner. Some of requests for organizational ethics consultation arise from the outcomes of ethics activities performed in other operational components of Ethics Nova Scotia Health, particularly those of Clinical Ethics Consultation and Policy Development & Review.

            Organizational ethics matters in the Northern, Eastern and Western zones that pertain to only one zone within Nova Scotia Health are addressed by the relevant Zone Ethics Committee. Within the Central Zone, Central Zone Organizational and Policy Ethics engages in organizational ethics consultations that pertain to this zone. Organizational ethics issues that are relevant to the whole health authority are addressed by the Ethics Leads Group with input from the Zone Ethics Committees and Central Zone Organizational and Policy Ethics.

Examples of organizational ethics matters/issues

  • Fair allocation of limited, authority-wide cancer care resources
  • Optimization of equitable access to medical assistance in dying (MAiD) services in urban and rural areas of the health authority
  • Application of an ‘ethics lens’ to financial/business decisions within the health authority
  • Establishment of criteria for potential provision of privately-funded treatments/ interventions within Nova Scotia Health care setting