Medical Ethics Advisor – May 1, 2009
May 1, 2009
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Study: Patients, families often experience abandonment at end of life
Feelings of abandonment on the part of patients and their caregivers are not uncommon as they transition from treatment to end-of-life care, according to a recent study completed by a team at the University of Washington. -
Boutique practices remain controversial
Boutique; concierge; retainer. These are all words used to describe physician practices that charge patients an annual fee for access. And while there don't appear to be firm numbers on such practices, some say they are meeting an important need in a broken health care system. -
Q&A on brain death with John D. Banja, PhD
[Editor's note: Dr. Banja is a Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; a Medical Ethicist at the Center for Ethics; and the Director of the Section on Ethics in Research at Emory University in Atlanta. E-mail: [email protected].] -
Psychiatric advance directives: Pros and cons
While psychiatric advance directives are not new in concept, patients tend not to take advantage of these tools. -
Practices in ethics consults at OHSU
[Editor's note: This is Part 2 of an article that appeared in the April 1, 2009, issue of Medical Ethics Advisor.] -
News Briefs
A study published in the March 9, 2009, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, which revealed that patients with advanced cancer who reported talking to their physicians about their end-of-life care wishes had significantly lower health care costs in the last week of life.