Project Ethics

Project Ethics must be considered in all stages of a project and using the tools will guide project teams in managing the ethical concerns identified during the project development. This includes projects done by IH employees, students, consultants, patient and family partners, or medical staff. Using an ethical review framework and a validated process to review projects helps to ensure that we protect the people we serve, our staff, and the organization. 

To understand if your IH related project requires a Project Ethics review complete the IH Project Ethics Decision Support Tool. If you selected yes to any of the questions it indicates that your project does need to complete an ethical review.

Learn if your project needs an ethics review

For IH related projects, ethical risk can be identified by using the ARECCI Guidelines and Screening Tool. Through this process, each project will receive a score indicating the level of ethical risk that is currently present within the project.  

Projects that score more than seven on the ARECCI Screening Tool require a Second Opinion Review. This is a process where a trained IH reviewer is assigned to review your project and provides recommendations on how to mitigate your projects ethical risks. The entire process should take between seven and 10 business days. For further information, contact projectethics@interiorhealth.ca 

Level 1 Project Ethics Education is open to all IH staff, students, physicians and community partners. The Level 1 course is highly recommended for individuals who lead or participate in quality improvement or evaluation projects. For a list of upcoming dates, contact projectethics@interiorhealth.ca. 

According to AL 1600 Project Ethics Policy, quality improvement and program evaluation projects involving people or their private information must follow a process of ethical review. This includes projects done by IH employees, students, consultants, patient and family partners, or medical staff.