The Program in Medicine and Human Values (PMHV) furthers excellence in patient care and medicine by providing bioethics education opportunities for community members and healthcare professionals.
Bioethics Webinars and Events
Our webinar series focus on effective communication skills and best practices integral for patient care. PMHV bioethics professionals provide practical solutions that healthcare providers can use in their practice. If you are a healthcare provider and would like information on viewing our educational webinar series you may contact Antonio Kruger, (415) 600-1647 or email, ethics@sutterhealth.org.
Annual Summer Workshop
Saturday, June 8, San Francisco
For the 14th consecutive year PMHV will host its annual clinical ethics workshop for professionals interested in hospital-based bioethics. This year’s workshop is titled Challenging Patients: New Solutions to Recurring Problems in Ethics Consultation.
The workshop is geared to bioethicists, physicians, nurses, legal counsel, risk managers, chaplains, social workers, administrators, ethics committee members, patient advocates, and attorneys. The workshop will focus on developing new solutions to frequently encountered situations with patients in the hospital setting. As the patient population in the acute hospital setting becomes more complex, healthcare providers are faced with ethical dilemmas that present significant challenges in providing appropriate care to patients. The morning session will include a panel discussion on decision making for the unrepresented patient. Panelists include representatives from multiple institutions in the Bay Area who will discuss approaches utilized at their organization and the outcomes associated with them. The morning session will end with the faculty providing a framework to conduct a debriefing session that can be used as an intervention to address moral distress.
The afternoon session will address skills required for addressing conflict situations that often arise when goals of care are not aligned or there are barriers to achieving optimal health outcomes for patients. Participants will gain knowledge on how to communicate clearly and openly in family meetings when non-beneficial treatments have been requested. Participants will also learn how to navigate difficult situations with patients who present challenges with their care. The workshop will end with a discussion about the evolving role of hospital ethics committees and their future.
International Collaborations
We take pride in our long-standing international collaborations, including:
- Neuroethics Network — This project of the Neuroscience, Éthique et Société Association and hosted by Institut du Cerveau et de la Moëlle Épinière expands dialogue by promoting interdisciplinary interactions. Researchers, doctors and patients come together under one roof, fostering a vital multi-faceted approach.
- Cambridge Consortium for Bioethics Education — PMHV partners with Cambridge University Press to bring together bioethics educators from all over the world to share information on bioethics education innovation and scholarship.
- International Bioethics Retreat — At this unique meeting, invited experts in medicine, philosophy, law and health policy from around the world present current research projects. Informal sessions include audience discussion. Every year the retreat expands and strengthens the international community of bioethicists.
Clinical Ethics Fellowship Program
This one-year fellowship provides intensive practical training in clinical ethics consultation in a large community hospital with a diverse, multicultural population. We seek to provide fellows the skills and experience required for clinical ethics consultation in a healthcare setting. The program embraces the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Core Competencies for Healthcare Ethics Consultation.
For more information about the fellowship, please email Dr. Ruchika Mishra.
Graduate Medical Education
As part of our collaboration with CPMC and Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital Graduate Medical Education, PMHV bioethicists educate doctors-in-training about how best to respond to challenging care situations. These education sessions have benefitted residents and fellows from internal medicine, psychiatry, critical care, cardiology, ophthalmology and family medicine specialties.
Ethical Times Newsletter
PMHV produces the Ethical Times Newsletter four times a year. It is written by our bioethicists and includes topics on healthcare ethics and activities of the ethics program. A recurring article, “The Ethicist is In,” describes a challenging patient case with ethical implications.
- No. 53, Vol. 15, No. 2 2018 (PDF)
- No. 52, Vol. 15, No. 1 2018 (PDF)
- No. 51, Vol. 14, No. 4 2017 (PDF)
- No. 50, Vol. 14, No. 3 2017 (PDF)
- No. 48, Vol. 14, No. 1 2017 (PDF)
For information about other education options, please contact krugera@sutterhealth.org.
