Medical Ethics
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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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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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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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Surrogates View Their Role Differently Than Clinicians
Surrogates view their role as speaking on behalf of the patient; clinicians view the surrogate’s role as speaking as if the patient was in the room advocating for themselves. The problem arises when the surrogate does not voice the opinions of the patient, instead voicing their own opinion of the situation.
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Ethical Responses if Family Abandons Loved One at Hospital
By leveraging their mediation skills, ethicists can build trust between weary family caregivers and clinicians who are unsure about how to handle a delicate situation. This can help everyone identify patient needs and find possible solutions.
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Is Ethics Education Part of the Solution to the Nursing Shortage?
Armed with ethics expertise, nursing leaders can help frontline nurses avoid burnout and moral distress. Consider routinely hosting short meetings to discuss ethical problems that are arising before things reach a crisis level.
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Congress Formally Ends X-Waiver Requirement
Lawmakers remove this barrier to treating opioid use disorder.
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Malpractice Lawsuits Allege Wrongful Prolongation of Life
The top problems in these cases are charting and communication among caregivers.
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Multiple Legal Issues with ED End-of-Life Care
An attorney argues missing the opportunity to respect autonomy in care decision-making for a patient who no longer desires curative care should be considered a poor outcome.
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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.