Medical Ethics
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Clarity and Consistency Help Families Facing Serious Medical Decisions
Different clinicians use similar-sounding terms. Families may make decisions based on how the clinician presents a situation. It is critical for medical providers to choose their words carefully.
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Physician Autonomy at Issue if Patients Demand Ineffective Treatments
A controversial Wisconsin Supreme Court case centers on whether physicians can be legally required to provide ivermectin for COVID-19 if a patient or family requests it.
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Providing Ethical Neonatal Cardiac Care
The complexities associated with neonates with cardiac disease require a collaborative and cohesive strategy. Shared decision-making, research ethics, and outcomes reporting are important considerations.
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Ethical Oversight of Chimeric Research
A key concern is whether evidence will emerge indicating significant functional changes in the cognition and behavior of nonhuman animals that contain human cells. If so, it may be difficult to resolve ethical issues regarding the moral status of those chimeric animals.
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Informed Consent Is Central Ethical Issue for Studies of Pig Organ Transplants
Existing policies for human research subject protection might not be adequate for these trials, mainly because there are so many unknowns with outcomes in humans.
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IRBs Likely Need Outside Expertise When Reviewing Xenotransplantation Study Protocols
An enthusiastic surgeon who wants to initiate a clinical trial for xenotransplantation may, in their enthusiasm, minimize the potential problems to the IRB. The surgeon might win approval, but the IRB might lack the expertise to know if they are receiving all the facts.
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For Researchers Using Social Media Data, Consent Is Ethical Worry
Researchers struggle with the ethical implications of sharing information that enables Twitter users to be identified. More guidance is needed from IRBs, as there does not seem to be a consensus on best practice in terms of research ethics.
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Study: New Physicians Develop Financial Ties Quickly
Earlier recognition and intervention during graduate medical education to improve professionalism and systems-based practice skills may limit future conflicts of interest with industry.
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Congress Formally Ends X-Waiver Requirement
Lawmakers remove this barrier to treating opioid use disorder.
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Some ED Patients Undergo Unwanted End-of-Life Care
Despite uncertainty, it is possible to provide value-concordant care in the ED. Identify those patients, and initiate decisions based on goals of care, not just by a default reflexive pathway. This could help improve patients’ experiences and outcomes broadly, by targeting the right treatments to the right patients.