Review of Draft Accreditation Programme 2008

In June 2007, PHEN solicited feedback from its members and others interested or working in the area of health ethics to review explicitly ethics-related standards within the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) Draft Programme 2008. The feedback was collected through in-person review sessions, teleconferences, and by email and compiled and submitted to CCHSA. A special thanks to all those that attended or provided feedback, and to the Calgary Health Region and Caritas for their support in coordinating the sessions.

Download 2008 Draft Accreditation Programme Review Summary

CCHSA Workshops

In September 2003, the Canadian Council on Health Service Accreditation (CCHSA) launched an education initiative designed to provide information to the accreditation officers of health service organizations regarding how and why organizations need to address ethics issues within their institutions. The information is provided through workshops held in Canadian cities each year. Also available are on-site education sessions custom-designed for each organization and facilitated by a CCHSA staff person or surveyor. To inquire about these workshops, or for more information, please visit the CCHSA website

2001 Ethics Requirements in Accreditation Standards

In 2001, the Canadian Council on Health Service Accreditation (CCHSA) launched the AIM Program, which established new (and largely tougher) standards for health service organizations in the area of ethics. However, the requirements regarding ethics in the new standards are not provided in any one particular AIM document, but are interspersed throughout the 14 AIM standards documents (one for each major area of health service delivery). In order to assist healthcare organizations in identifying those areas of the new standards that pertain to ethics services, PHEN has compiled a document composed of excerpts from the various AIM standards documents most relevant to ethics committees. You can download that document below.

Please note that if one's definition of an ethical issue is one that affects other individuals or that involves a tension of values, almost all sections of the AIM standards will have ethical implications. In order to be maximally useful, then, this document identifies only those sections of the standards which appear to the authors to be the most significant with regard to ethics and the provision of ethics services.

Download PHEN 2001 Accreditation Standards Summary Document

1999 PHEN-CCHSA Joint Consultation Project on Developing New Accreditation Standards in the Area of Ethics

In 1999, the CCHSA released the draft version of its new accreditation standards, AIM: Achieving Improved Measurement. PHEN, in conjunction with the CCHSA, hosted discussion sessions in Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge to solicit feedback on those sections of the new standards relating to the addressing of ethical issues and their incorporation into decision-making in healthcare organizations.

Download PHEN 1999 Ethics Accreditation Standards Consultation Final Report

Support for Meeting Accreditation Requirements

The Provincial Health Ethics Network aims to provide support to those organizations in Alberta that are attempting to meet accreditation standards with regard to ethics. If you have questions or seek additional information, please feel free to contact PHEN.