Medical Ethics Advisor – August 1, 2022
August 1, 2022
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Cardiac Xenotransplantation Could Fill the Organ Donor Gap, But Is It Ethical?
There are not enough organs for heart failure patients who need them, and cardiac xenotransplantation is one potential, albeit controversial, solution.
Ethics Plays Important Role in Response to Abortion Ruling
As healthcare professionals process the clinical, legal, and even personal implications of the recent Supreme Court decision to allow states to restrict abortion access or ban it entirely, ethicists play an important role.
Wearable Tech in Clinical Research Trials
Researchers are partnering with companies to facilitate clinical research trials that call for patients to use wearable tech, which raises multiple ethical concerns.
Clinicians Must Remain Cautious When Using Social Media
Many clinicians see their social media presence as distinct from their clinical role. While this is somewhat true, it is important to remember once something is put online, one cannot control who sees it or how it is interpreted.
Pain Researchers Are Engaging Patients as Partners
Pain researchers would benefit by enacting a comprehensive approach to patient engagement, perhaps engaging people with lived experience of chronic pain in developing study recruitment materials.
Parents, IRBs Hold Different Views on Phase I Pediatric Oncology Trials
IRB members are more likely than the public to think the risks outweigh the potential medical benefits. Parents think about the possibility of caring for a child with severe cancer and no treatment alternatives. IRBs ensure trials are ethical and that pediatric subjects are not exposed to excessive risk.
Ethics Consults During Pandemic Inform Preparation for Future Crises
Lessons learned on ethics consults during the COVID-19 pandemic carry important implications for future disasters.
New Guidance on Incorporating Patient-Reported Outcomes in Clinical Research
Patient-reported outcomes can be used to develop healthcare policy and regulatory decisions, and also to monitor symptoms to provide timely care tailored to the patient’s needs.
Few People with Limited English Proficiency Participate in Stroke Studies
Rather than making the IRB processes more difficult for researchers who wish to include underrepresented populations in their study, IRBs should work with researchers to overcome obstacles.
Updated Guidance Provides Sense of Urgency to Improve Clinical Trial Diversity
Organizations must invest in research infrastructure to support investigators in enrolling and retaining diverse study populations.