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Editor's note: In the August 2008 issue, Medical Ethics Advisor reported on a new requirement by The Joint Commission to become effective January 2009 that hospitals monitor and correct so-called "disruptive behaviors" by health care professionals at their institutions. This month, MEA spoke with Laurie Zoloth at Northwestern University's Center for Bioethics, Science and Society. To discuss how physicians should address either incompetent or other bad behavior by other physicians.
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Editor's note: Medical Ethics Advisor is beginning an occasional series with articles designed to help provide useful information in the organizing and administration of ethics committees.
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"In interacting with the medical community, we are committed to following the highest ethical standards, as well as all legal requirements. We are also concerned that our interactions with health care professionals not be perceived as inappropriate by patients or the public at large. This Code is to reinforce our intention that our interactions with health care professionals are professional exchanges designed to benefit patients and to enhance the practice of medicine."
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The American Cancer Society in Atlanta and the National Medical Association in Washington, DC, have joined the strengths of their respective organizations targeted to end disparities in cancer treatment and diagnosis among ethnic minority and underserved population groups.
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End-of-life issues should be discussed while people are in good health. Just as people prepare for birth, it is important to prepare for death.
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The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) board of directors has approved what was termed elements of a pilot national system to facilitate kidney paired donations.
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The Joint Commission in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, on July 9 issued a Sentinel Alert that would require hospitals to establish policies that address, manage and correct what it refers to as "intimidating and disruptive behaviors" by health care professionals in the facility setting.
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Ethicists primarily at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia came together to pen a commentary appearing in June 26, 2008, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine calling for organ transplantation policies that would require potential organ recipients to opt-in or opt-out at the time they are listed for organs as to whether they would accept so-called "non-standard" organs.
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The American Medical Association in Chicago at its annual meeting in June adopted policy calling for the modification of current law to allow pilot studies on financial incentives for organ donation from people who have died.
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As the baby boomers age, medicine is allowing us to live longer, but perhaps sicker, managing chronic disease with medication and replacing parts that have broken down with a combination of medical devices and surgeries.
