Clinical Ethicists are healthcare professionals who assist with values-based decision-making in challenging circumstances. They support patients, care partners, and clinicians navigate difficult treatment decisions and can be called upon by care teams when moral dilemmas arise. Patients and their care partners may also request ethics consultation to help guide important conversations about their care.
When might a patient or family member benefit from an ethics consultation?
- When there is disagreement about which treatment plan to pursue.
- When there are differing opinions about who should serve as the substitute decision-maker or what the patient would prefer in the event of incapacity.
- When there are disagreements about which treatments are in the best interest of a patient who cannot make their own medical decisions.
Ethics consultations can help navigate all these difficult situations and more.
When would it be more appropriate to access a different service?
If you were dissatisfied with a past hospital experience for yourself or a family member, it's best to direct any complaints to the Patient Relations team: https://www.lhsc.on.ca/patients-visitors/patient-relations (519-685-8500 ext. 58230)
- For questions about your or a family member’s treatment, contact the physician or care team.
- If you need to access your personal health information, you can make a request with the Health Records Office: https://www.lhsc.on.ca/patient-health-information/accessing-your-health-information (519-685-8500 ext. 52865)
