Medical Ethics Advisor
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Reality check needed: Many unaware of limitations of life-sustaining treatments
Family members of patients generally overestimate the potential benefit of life-sustaining treatments in the ICU, according to Paul Hutchison, MD, MA, assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine.
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Residents struggle with talking about resuscitation preferences, even with training
Training improved resident-led code status discussions in some ways but not others, according to a recent study.
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Report offers recommendations for central ethical issues involving neuroscience
A new report on neuroscience and ethics from The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues offers recommendations involving cognitive enhancement, consent capacity, and neuroscience and the legal system.
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Code status orders for psychiatric admissions: They’re not happening consistently
Psychiatric inpatients were less likely to have an order on admission regarding code status compared to medical inpatients, according to a recent study.
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Is Palliative Care Expertise Inadequate at your Institution?
Hospitals are challenged to meet patients’ palliative care needs despite a scarcity of specialists, lack of training, and persistent misconceptions.
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Impaired physicians have ethical obligation to self-report, experts say
Do physicians have diminished capacity as a result of substance abuse, burnout, behavioral or psychological issues, or physical illness? Regardless of the reason for impairment, physicians have an ethical obligation to protect their patients from harm.
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Parents eager for newborn genomic testing; ethical questions currently unanswered
Parents have widespread interest in genome sequencing for newborns, regardless of their demographic background, according to a recent study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Researchers queried 514 parents within 48 hours of a child’s birth.1
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Voice ethical concerns — not just during consults, but organizationwide
Clinical ethicists can voice concerns not just during consults involving individual patients, but also more generally to address organizationwide issues.
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Disruptive behavior isn’t always addressed, either in policy or practice
Disruptive behavior remains a common occurrence in health care; organizations may lack policies to identify, prevent, and address such behavior.
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How bioethicists can encourage disclosure of medical errors
Despite patients’ growing expectations that medical errors and unexpected outcomes will be disclosed openly, the practice is infrequent.