EthCo - For better ethical safety in future health care environments

The EthCo project was initiated to tackle critical gaps in ethical competence among healthcare professionals and students across Europe. Rapidly evolving healthcare environments, digitalization, and complex patient cases have increased ethical challenges, yet education and workplace practices often lack structured support for ethical decision-making. Discussions and research revealed a need for harmonized ethics education and practical tools to strengthen ethical safety for both professionals and patients. EthCo responded by creating innovative educational interventions, such as Ethics Coaching, Ethical Coffee Room discussion structures, and simulation scenarios, combined with a digital learning platform - EthCo Tool comprising digital eHandbook for educators and open access materials in EthCo website - to ensure accessibility and sustainability. By empowering professionals to act as ethics coaches, the project aimed to address competence disparities, foster resilience against moral distress, and promote a culture of ethical awareness in healthcare organizations.

EthCo’s transnational consortium of healthcare professionals was formed already in 2021 to develop ethical safety in future healthcare environments. The EthCo project aimed to strengthen ethical competence in healthcare education and practice through innovative, accessible solutions. Our objectives were to: - Identify and prioritize ethical challenges faced by healthcare professionals and students. - Develop and pilot new learning practices, including Ethics Coaching, Ethical Coffee Room discussions, and simulation scenarios, to bridge theory and practice, and to empower participants to act as ethical coaches, promoting ethical safety and resilience in workplaces. - Create the EthCo Tool, an open-access digital platform offering structured ethics education resources for higher education institutions and healthcare organizations. - Disseminate the results effectively, to foster transnational collaboration to ensure adaptability and sustainability of these practices across diverse contexts. By achieving these goals, EthCo sought to embed ethics as a core competence, reduce moral distress, and cultivate a culture of ethical awareness in healthcare environments.

The EthCo project was implemented through a series of coordinated activities designed to strengthen ethical competence in healthcare education and practice. We began with a comprehensive needs analysis, using literature review, surveys and interviews to identify key ethical challenges and gaps among professionals and students. Based on these findings, we developed and piloted innovative learning practices, including theory, Ethics Coaching, Ethical Coffee Room discussions, and simulation-based scenarios, to embed ethics into everyday decision-making. A major milestone was the creation of the EthCo Tool, an open-access material and digital platform offering structured resources and interactive modules for ethics education. To ensure sustainability, we organized workshops and webinars to train educators and professionals as ethical coaches. Transnational collaboration was fostered through partner meetings and knowledge exchange, enabling adaptation across diverse healthcare contexts. Finally, dissemination and evaluation activities, including conferences, publications, and feedback loops, ensured continuous improvement and broad impact.

The EthCo project advanced ethical competence in healthcare education and practice. Its key achievement was the EthCo Tool, an open-access digital platform offering structured resources, interactive modules, and guidelines for ethics education. We piloted innovative practices like Ethics Coaching, Ethical Coffee Room discussions, and simulation scenarios, integrating them into curricula and workplace training. Students, educators, and professionals were trained as ethics coaches, ensuring sustainability. Transnational collaboration produced shared framework adaptable to diverse contexts. Dissemination through conferences, publications and webinars expanded reach, while evaluation confirmed improved ethical awareness and reduced moral distress. Key outputs foster a culture of ethical safety and resilience in healthcare: 1)Educational interventions: Ethics Coaching materials, ECR discussion structures, multiprofessional simulations, and a 5 ECTS course piloted internationally; 2)EthCo Tool: a virtual, open-access learning environment for higher education and healthcare. The April 2025 final seminar showcased results. The tool remains updated and available, harmonizing ethics education and competence level across the EU.