Medical Ethics Advisor – August 1, 2007
August 1, 2007
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XDR-TB case exposes health officials, public to ethical aspects of quarantine
The public health threat posed by Andrew Speaker, the Georgia lawyer who traveled to Europe and back as he learned that he not only had tuberculosis, but an extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), warranted the first federally ordered quarantine in 44 years. -
Medical blogs: Potential minefield for writers
Blogger beware some on-line medical diarists have found the benefits of sharing experiences and observations via their web logs ("blogs") can come at a cost. -
Disclosing information: How much is too much?
Physicians say they sometimes struggle to strike a balance in their doctor-patient relationships not too personal, not too aloof. -
Hypothetical errors easier to 'confess' than real ones
While most doctors might feel good about the idea of disclosing medical errors to patients, a University of Iowa researcher says fewer than half of the physicians and medical students his team surveyed actually have disclosed real medical errors. -
'Hopefulness' contributes to good end-of-life care
Researchers at a large children's hospital found that nurses who were comfortable working with dying children and their families were also nurses who reported high levels of hopefulness. -
Ethics of residents working unsupervised in the ED
Are residents in training who moonlight in emergency departments (EDs) more likely to experience clinical errors and oversights? The answer is a definite yes, say experts, and to allow them to practice unsupervised is unethical, they add.