-
Full disclosure of information to patients about their illnesses and treatment is considered the cornerstone of patient autonomy; patients capable of making their own health care decisions can only do so if they have enough information to weigh the risks and benefits of treatment.
-
Much of America heard about the "Ashley treatment" in late 2006, upon publication of an article detailing the growth-attenuation measures taken in 2004 in the case of a then-6-year-old, severely developmentally disabled Seattle-area girl whose parents sought medical help that might ensure that she could be comfortable and that they could care for her as she grew older.
-
An elderly or frail yet competent patient refuses treatment and insists on returning home, where he or she lives alone or with an equally elderly or frail relative.
-
A large, national review of patients presenting to emergency departments with chest pain surprised researchers with what it revealed about disparities in how chest pain patients are evaluated.
-
Nurses or physicians who place patients in restraints or in isolation now must meet stricter training and documentation requirements thanks to a strengthened federal patient's rights rule effective as of Feb. 6.
-
Communication between health care providers and the families of critically ill and dying children is simultaneously the most important and most difficult task in some cases.
-
Parents of children who died in pediatric intensive care units want doctors and nurses to know that they respect and appreciate care providers' technical skills, but what they need more of is a personal, emotional connection with their children's medical providers.
-
Are research and quality improvement (QI) mutually exclusive, or natural partners? When QI crosses over into research, what ethical issues can arise?
-
The number of academic medical centers that are banning free drug samples, free lunches, and other gifts from pharmaceutical company representatives remains small, but continues to grow.
-
If your after-hours answering service is asking patients calling in to decide whether their complaint is an emergency, are you asking for trouble? Possibly, says a Minnesota researcher who evaluated 2,835 after-hours calls to a family medicine residency office in Denver.