Medical Ethics Advisor
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National guidelines for palliative care developed
In an effort to better standardize and improve the quality of palliative care services available nationwide, a consensus group has released new clinical guidelines detailing what services a palliative care program should include and where providers can go for more information and support. -
Lost in translation? LEP patients often are seen and not heard
Although federal regulations require health care providers to provide assistance to patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) including translation and interpretation services when necessary there are no objective standards or guidelines for who may work as an interpreter for health encounters. As a result, most hospitals and primary care providers have sketchy programs for communicating with non-English-speaking patients. -
Treatment of depressed children questioned
Record numbers of U.S. children are being treated for depression and receiving prescriptions for antidepressants. Some mental health experts, however, fear many of these patients actually suffer from more severe illnesses and are being misdiagnosed.