Grant: Dissemination Events - Priority Announcement: Ethics

Qikiqtani General Hospital in Nunavut is currently in the process of forming an institutional ethics committee and developing health care ethics (HCE) programming. The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) is the tertiary care support centre for Qikiqtani General Hospital, and is in the process of providing informal ethics support on an as possible basis. Currently, TOH is in the process of restructuring it's own ethics committee, and recently held a retreat for ethics committee members to discuss the new structure and model. This retreat was a very successful activity for the TOH ethics committee, and has led to the development of new terms of reference. In order to make well founded decisions regarding models of ethics programming in Iqaluit, Qikiqtani General Hospital needs to engage in a structured retreat for ethics committee members and area physicians. This proposal seeks funding for a dissemination event where the focus will be on the sharing of information and research related to ethics committees and HCE programming. This retreat would be organized by the applicants, and implemented by Dr. Thomas Foreman (Director, Clinical and Organizational Ethics, TOH) and Michael Kekewich (Coordinator, Clinical and Organizational Ethics, TOH), who previously implemented a successfull ethics committee retreat with TOH stakeholders. The retreat would take place in Iqaluit, and would last two days. The first day would be devoted to HCE capacity building for regional physicians. The second day would be devoted to a structured ethics committee retreat for current and potential ethics committee members. Among other topics, the retreat will focus on models of HCE programming, research ethics activities, mandate of ethics committees, and the importance of cultural competency. This retreat will allow Qikiqtani General Hospital to provide HCE services based on local needs and issues, and will significantly build the capacity of health care providers in the region.