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Not Just Clinicians: Research Staff Experiences Moral Distress, Too
When ethicists encounter a concern about “moral distress,” it often comes from a nurse who feels aggressive end-of-life care is not in a patient’s best interest. But what about a researcher who feels enrollment in a clinical trial is not in a patient’s best interest?
Seriously Ill Patients Have Unmet Needs at Discharge
Aaron A. Kuntz, MD, a palliative care physician in the Division of General Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, wanted to better understand patient and caregiver experiences with the hospital discharge process. The researchers interviewed 11 patients and four caregivers who received palliative care during a hospitalization. The patients and caregivers described lack of clarity on the next steps and needing more education on post-discharge services.
Training Is Needed as Palliative Care Moves to Home Health Setting
There is growing awareness of the need to integrate palliative care in the home health setting. However, two important ethical questions remain unanswered. Is the home health care workforce ready to deliver palliative care? And are home health patients ready to accept palliative care?
Stakeholder Engagement Is Important in Palliative Care Research
Involving stakeholders in palliative care research promotes successful recruitment, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of study findings. However, researchers face many challenges in doing this effectively.
Religion and Spirituality Course Content Varies in Graduate Bioethics Programs
Almost a decade ago, Cynthia Geppert, MD, PhD, DPS, adjunct professor of bioethics at the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College, noticed that few graduate bioethics programs included a course addressing religion and spirituality. This realization led to Geppert co-developing a religion and bioethics course in 2018.
Pediatric Ethics Consults Adhere to Some — But Not All — National Standards
Core competencies for ethics consultation were established in 2011 by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. However, it is unclear if ethics consultants are consistently meeting these standards.
Updated ANA Code of Ethics Reflects Today’s Realities; for Ethicists, it Is Another Tool
Every 10 years, the American Nurses Association updates its Code of Ethics for Nurses. The much-anticipated 2025 changes have important implications for nurses, ethicists, and other healthcare providers.
Infectious Disease Updates
Post-COVID Cryptococcosis — Even in Those Without Immunosuppression; Think Tularemia
RSV Vaccination in Severely Immunocompromised Individuals
The antibody response to respiratory syncytial virus vaccination is significantly impaired in many severely immunocompromised individuals.
Agreeing to Care for Unvaccinated Children
Many primary care clinicians choose not to enroll pediatric patients in their practices when the parents disagree with standard childhood immunization. However, such refusal to provide primary care raises significant controversy and ethical concerns.