Medical Ethics Advisor
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Tool Identifies Patients in Need of Serious Illness Conversations
Text messages generated by a machine-learning tool resulted in clinicians engaging in more serious illness conversations with high-risk patients.
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Ethics Skills Align with Trauma-Informed Care Principles
Ethics consults often center on traumatic situations — for patients, families, and even the clinicians who are providing treatment. Trauma-informed care transforms questions about what is wrong with someone by adding more context, such as discovering information about what happened to the patient.
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Spiritual Support Alleviates Anxiety of Surrogate Decision-Makers
Surrogates enrolled in an enhanced spiritual care model reported less anxiety, more spiritual well-being, and greater satisfaction with spiritual care compared to surrogates who received usual care. These results suggest expanded chaplain involvement is beneficial.
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Aggressive End-of-Life Care Remains Common, Especially in Nursing Homes
Recent research findings raise ethical questions about how patient or family preferences are communicated to care providers, the timing of those discussions, and what policies are in place at the nursing home to honor patients’ goals of care.
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Direct-to-Consumer TV Ads Push Drugs of Scant Therapeutic Value
Many people assume TV ads for prescription drugs are for new, cutting-edge medications that represent groundbreaking advances. However, there is growing evidence suggesting otherwise.
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For Sale: Private Mental Health Data and Consumer Trust
Once people learn mental health data can be sold or misused, trust erodes. These issues might dissuade people from seeking care online or via an app. For many, that may be their only option.
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Remain Cautious When Using Chatbots to Provide Mental Healthcare
Consider these common, innocuous questions: Are you taking your medications as directed? You look a little upset — is everything OK? Do you need some urgent help? Now, consider if an AI tool, not a human therapist, asked a patient these questions, along with the issues of trust, privacy, and bias. Can humans and machines establish a bond?
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Scientific Journals Confront Ethical Controversy Over ChatGPT
The new artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT is roiling the scientific community. There are a range of ethical concerns in relation to the use of AI for journals. There is risk of bias, inaccuracy, and authorship issues.
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Physicians Should Educate Patients About Cannabis-Impaired Driving
Primary care providers should discuss frequency of use, dosage, tolerance levels, and withdrawal symptoms. Also, inform patients of the harms, risks, and legal consequences of cannabis-impaired driving.
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Remote Mental Healthcare Facing Ethical, Legal Pushback
Patients might assume they are talking with a licensed therapist, when they actually are speaking with an unlicensed therapist or a mental health coach. That is an ethical violation.