Medical Ethics Advisor – September 1, 2021
September 1, 2021
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The Evolving Ethics of Researching Illegal Substances
Interest in clinical research on cannabis and psilocybin is soaring. However, current barriers to studying these controlled substances raise ethical questions.Many Ethical Considerations for MDs if Patient Is Unvaccinated
Beyond the ethical questions, there are logistics, privacy, and even equity concerns to consider.Complicated Ethics of Adolescent Children Self-Consenting for Vaccines
Parental rights issues often are asserted, but at the same time, society has a stake in protecting children from harm, including medical neglect.Survey: More Education Could Boost COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Among Youth
Adolescents and their parents are interested in taking the COVID-19 vaccine; more education and other developments could sway even more, according to the results of a survey. Respondents indicated more information on safety and efficacy for adolescents was one of the top factors that would increase the likelihood of taking the vaccine. They also said primary care providers and health officials were their most trusted sources for vaccine information.Informed Consent, Payment Are Ethical Concerns with Egg Donation
A survey of current and former egg donors revealed some possible gaps when it comes to communicating potential long-term risks.Framework for Developing Health Research Ethics Competencies
Researchers were surprised that despite ongoing efforts to develop research ethics programs over many years in the United States and internationally, there was no published competency framework to follow, nor was there a standard approach to creating competencies in this context. This, despite the fact competencies have been used for education in business, medicine, and elsewhere for decades.Chaplains Play Unique Role in Advance Care Planning
Ninety percent of 585 of board-certified healthcare chaplains said advance care planning is important to their work, 70% regularly help patients complete paperwork after discussions, 90% facilitate discussions with patients about their preferences, and 45% reported they were not consistently included in team discussions on decision-making.Hybrid ED/ICU Setting Cuts Critical Care Admission Rates
For patients and families, a combination ED-ICU means avoiding costly ICU admissions that do not align with care goals. For health systems, it means alleviating ICU capacity strain.Observational Study Highlights Differences in IRB Start-Up Times
There appears to be a significant difference in start-up times for large cardiovascular trials in North America, highlighting changes needed for trials to become more efficient and feasible.Interdisciplinary Teams Collaborate on Disaster Research
Social scientists provide invaluable data for disaster and hazard research as they study human predictability, risk, and the consequences of such events. However, social scientists are not the only ones researching natural or man-made disasters. Disaster research also can include teams of engineers, urban planners, risk analysts, and public health administrators.