Medical Ethics Advisor
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Family Caregivers Benefit from Early Palliative Care, Says Study
Early palliative care integrated with oncology care benefits not only patients with cancer, but also family caregivers, according to a new study.
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Stigma Against Mental, Substance Use Disorders Persists
A multipronged national strategy is needed to address stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders, a new report says.
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Do Physicians Get Incentives for Patients’ Donations?
Some institutions encourage physicians to solicit donations from grateful patients. A small minority of physicians report being offered financial incentives for doing so.
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Providers’ Bias Against Obese Patients Affects the Care Patients Receive
A growing body of research reveals that clinicians are frequently biased against obese patients — and that patients are harmed as a result.
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Ethical Debate Continues on Resident Work Hour Limits
Efforts to limit work hours of residents spurred ongoing debate over whether patients are, in fact, safer as a result.
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'Big Data' in Healthcare has Some Ethicists Concerned
“Big data” is becoming increasingly important in healthcare, with the Precision Medicine Initiative and numerous other quality initiatives seeking de-identified information to improve care.
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Experts: Create Hospital Policies on Ethics of Deactivating ICDs
Addressing implantable cardiac devices in hospital policies on withdrawal of life-sustaining interventions can support clinicians and prevent arbitrary decision-making.
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Autonomy, consent are key ethical concerns with egg freezing
Growing numbers of women are choosing to freeze their eggs in order to delay childbearing until later in life. Some ethicists, however, worry that the existence of oocyte cryopreservation technology places responsibility for juggling career, education, and family-making on women alone.
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Dying in America recommendations not reality in most hospital settings, experts say
The Institute of Medicine’s landmark September 2014 report, Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life, identified serious deficiencies in end-of-life care in the U.S. Institutions reacted to the report’s recommendations in various ways.
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Chaplain visits in ICU uncommon, study finds
[Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series on the role of chaplains in the hospital setting. In this story, we report on how chaplains and ethicists can work together to ensure ethical care. Last month, we explored how chaplains can help to resolve conflicts over whether to withdraw life-sustaining interventions.]