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Clinical Ethics

PHSA Ethics Service is a free, confidential service.  We support people seeking and accessing services, as well as their loved ones.
About our Service


For patients and families who need to make complex and difficult decisions and there are different opinions about the best treatment plan.

Are you facing a difficult decision?

  • Uncertainty or confusion about what treatment options is best for you/your baby
  • Questions about continuing or stopping treatment
  • Questions about refusing treatment
  • Issues regarding patient rights
  • Different or opposing opinions between patients, family members and others about treatment goals or the plan of care
  • End of life decision making
How we can help

An ethics consultation can help

  • Our Clinical Ethicist will meet with you and/or healthcare teams to discuss options
  • We help to explore patient and family values and beliefs involved in making these decisions
  • We help patients to decide what is most important to you and your family
  • We do not make decisions for you
  • If there are different views about a plan of care, we can help by providing the opportunity for a discussion that is safe, respectful and fair
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Ethical Issues

An ethics consult may be helpful for issues related to: 

  • Uncertainty or differing opinions about care plans
  • Concerns about continuing, stopping or refusing treatment
  • Questions about who should make health-care decisions
  • Patient privacy/confidentiality
  • End-of-life decisions
  • Tensions related to values, religion or culture
In an ethics consult, we can: 

  • Facilitate respectful discussions about health care questions and concerns; 
  • help people think through the values that are most important to them;
  • support people to reach decisions that are right for them and their loved ones;
  • keep information confidential; and
  • support people in talking with their health care teams.
Call us to make an appointment for an ethics consultation.

Our Team

Alice Virani

Director, PHSA Ethics 

Alice.Virani@phsa.ca 

604-875-3182


Nina Preto, PhD
Clinical Ethicist
Nina.Preto@cw.bc.ca 
604-875-2360


Alexandra Olmos Perez

Clinical Ethicist

Alexandra.olmosperez@phsa.ca

604-875-2345 ext 4400


Admin Office 

Ethics@phsa.ca

604-875-2345 ext 4029
SOURCE: Clinical Ethics ( )
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