Medical Ethics
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‘Blatant Wrongdoing’: Wrongful Prolongation of Life Cases Surge
An expert witness who has testified in multiple wrongful prolongation of life cases and has advised health systems on how to avoid these cases shares helpful advice in the Q&A.
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Hospitals Sued for Wrongful Prolongation of Life: Ethicists Offer Unique Expertise
The point of the litigation is it is a medical error to provide too much treatment, just as it is to provide too little treatment. If it is clear patients did not want it, then clinicians should not provide it.
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Prominent Pastor, Scientists, Researchers Seek to Ease Vaccine Fears in Minority Populations
Minority populations are more likely to participate in clinical research activities when they are encouraged by trusted authority figures, such as family physicians or pastors. One such pastor and author, Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter’s House in Dallas, decided to use his popular YouTube channel to broadcast information about the COVID-19 vaccine to dispel myths and to encourage his followers to take the shots.
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Researchers and IRBs Reconsider Minimal Risk After Trial Results
A clinical trial that involved studying electronic health record alerts for acute kidney injury seemed to be minimal risk to both the researchers and the IRBs that approved it. However, when two hospitals involved in the study reported an increased mortality rate, the researchers and the IRBs reconsidered what is truly minimal risk in these types of studies.
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Nurse ‘Ambassador’ Programs Pose Significant Ethical Concerns
Nurses who are approached by a drug company for this kind of position should think twice about becoming involved in this new role. Consider the ethical challenges that may present. Discuss with the company how to handle these.
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Nurse Leaders Report Ethical Dilemmas Related to Patient Care, Work Environment
Patient care issues and work environment issues require critical reasoning. Nurse leaders need help with both of these issues. Ethicists could help by taking a more active role in developing educational content for nurse leaders.
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Altruism Is Factor in Perceived Ethical Obligation to Share Health Data
Research participation often is viewed as a selfless act, with participants enrolling in studies with little expectation of reward or benefit in return. The assumption is most participate with the anticipation findings from research will help others. Investigators explored if this perception also was true in terms of allowing one’s health information to be used.
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Surrogates’ Authority Varies on Mental Health Treatment Decision-Making
Ethicists should be familiar with their respective jurisdictions’ statutes and case law, especially those whose health systems cross state borders.
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Ongoing Ethical Concerns with Misleading Advertising by Cancer Centers
Recent guidance outlines ethical concerns when cancer centers advertise directly to the public. The authors recommend these centers ensure fair and balanced promotion of cancer services, avoid exaggeration of claims, and provide data and statistics to support direct and implied assertions of treatment success.
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Ethics Services Want to Know How Consult Data Compare to Other Hospitals
Ethics services often struggle to obtain data to improve the quality of consults even at their own hospitals, let alone outside institutions. Yet some ethicists are forging ahead with this challenging proposition, trying to move from the qualitative to the quantitative.