Medical Ethics Advisor – November 1, 2021

November 1, 2021

• IRBs Now Expect More Diversity in Research Trials

  Promoting equitable participation must not be at the cost of impeding research. But within an ethical framework beyond regulations, IRBs are evolving to address and accelerate equitable inclusion in research.

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• Report: Still Not Enough Women Included in Cardiovascular Research

  To augment the enrollment of women in cardiovascular trials, researchers must build awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and foster trust among women. Try increasing the percentage of women who lead clinical trials, modifying inclusion and exclusion criteria, and advertising the risks and benefits of participation to the general population.

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• Some Researchers Turn to Social Media Influencers for Help with Recruitment

  To do this effectively, researchers must become familiar with the social media environment relevant to their study population, find the right influencers, and contact those people.

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• Bioethics Field Lacks Standardized Competencies for Trainees

  The hope is that training programs will find a way to evaluate not only trainees’ progress, but also the adequacy of their programs in training people to work in the field of bioethics.

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• Patients, Family, Clinicians All Misunderstand Chaplains’ Role

  One way to help is to provide patients and providers with background information on chaplains, with an emphasis on the fact chaplains are certified professionals who are specifically trained to provide patient-focused spiritual care to all people, regardless of belief system.

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• Study: More Than Half of DNR ED Patients Resuscitated Against Their Wishes

  Of 419 cardiac arrest patients, 65 were DNR status. Of this group of DNR patients, 38 were resuscitated against their wishes. Not adhering to a patient’s wishes not only violates their autonomy, but it is arguably not acting in the patient’s best interest — and may in fact be causing them harm.

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• Ethics Service Uses Relative Value Units to Quantify the Work of Consultants

  Unlike clinical areas, ethics services have no consistent way to measure their work. The lack of quantifiable data makes it hard for leadership to comprehend. Administrators live in the world of productivity measures. They do not fully understand the world of clinical ethics. A group at Baylor is working on the a solution that, if nothing else, would help everybody start to speak the same language.

  
  

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• Ethics of 10-Year Research Agenda for Dementia, Alzheimer’s Studies

  There is a pressing need for more research on non-cure-based treatments for people living with dementia. That gap in is a real ethical concern. Social-behavioral research can help family members who are struggling to figure out where the loved one with dementia is going to live.

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• The Earlier, the Better for Formal Ethics Training

  For physicians anticipating prolonged post-graduate training, a key advantage of this program is it happens concurrently with the medical school curriculum.

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• IRBs Face Unique Ethical Questions About Disaster Research

  IRBs must consider the value of the research to advance science and reduce suffering. At the same time, IRBs must consider the potential for harm based on the unique vulnerabilities of disaster survivors in the aftermath.

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• Protocols for Scarce Resources Draw on Ethical Principles, Empirical Data

  The combination of ethical principles and empirical data is critical. The protocol is not derived only from ethical principles. The empiricist developing the protocol must understand the ethics.

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