Medical Ethics
RSSArticles
-
Residents Reporting More Moral Distress
Trainees are reporting moral distress more frequently, according to bioethicists interviewed by Medical Ethics Advisor.
-
Misconceptions on Meaning of DNR Status Surprisingly Common Among Clinical Team
Clinicians sometimes assume DNR status means a preference for comfort measures only, but this is not necessarily the case.
-
Study: Pain Research Can Harm Participants
Researchers must pay greater attention to the rights of study participants in pain research, concludes a recent paper by the Ethics Committee of the Pain-Omics Group.
-
Is It Safe? NIH Ends Moratorium on Enhancing Pandemic Pathogens
"Gain-of-function” research designed to make pathogens deadlier or more transmissible in order to develop treatments and countermeasures has been given a green light by the National Institutes of Health.
-
Identifying Key Personality Traits Affected by Parkinson’s Disease, Deep Brain Stimulation
Parkinson’s disease and deep brain stimulation procedures sometimes used to treat it can alter personality, including key traits that make a person, in essence, who they are. While many patients and families report positive changes, there is a need to better identify exactly what personality characteristics may be affected and to what degree personality is altered.
-
‘Mere Presence’ of Ethicist Can Encourage Nursing Participation
At some hospitals, ethics consultations are viewed as clinical orders and can only be requested by physicians. Many nurses are eager for ethics advice, but they’re not always comfortable raising a concern on their own.
-
Emotional Support for Surrogates Linked to Better Decisions
Emotional support is important, and not only for surrogates’ psychological well-being: It’s also linked to the quality of their decision-making, found a recent study.
-
Initiative’s Goal: To Honor Seriously Ill Patients’ Wishes
The Veterans Health Administration's Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions Initiative was designed to ensure that the goals, values, and life-sustaining treatment decisions of patients with serious illness are elicited, documented, and honored.
-
Unique Informed Consent Challenges if Research Participant Is Incarcerated
Informed consent for research involving incarcerated people presents multiple unique ethical challenges for investigators.
-
‘Ethical Obligation to Go Further’ if Patients Are Nonadherent for Financial Reasons
Some patients cannot afford recommended care because of higher out-of-pocket costs due in part to a surge in high-deductible plans.