Medical Ethics Advisor – September 1, 2017
September 1, 2017
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Case of Terminally Ill Infant Sparks Ethical Debate Over Autonomy
The highly-publicized case of Charlie Gard, a terminally ill British infant, ignited a recent global ethical controversy. The case involved a court battle between the hospital, who wanted to remove the infant from life support, and the child’s parents, who wanted their son transferred to the U.S. for an experimental treatment.
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Do Concierge Practices Indicate Medicine ‘Needs to Be Fixed?’
The continued growth of concierge medicine is spurred, in part, by a strong desire for longer, more meaningful visits. This is true for both patients and physicians.
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Study: Pathologists Want More Active Role in Error Disclosure
Pathologists want to play a more active role in conversations about errors with patients, instead of turning to the treating physician to handle it, according to a recent study.1
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Consult Service Created for Moral Distress
When ICU nurses at the University of Virginia Health System were experiencing a serious issue with moral distress, they asked Ann B. Hamric, PhD, RN, for help.
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Ethics of Using Family Members as Egg Donors or Surrogates
“The ethical considerations surrounding intrafamilial gamete donation and gestational surrogacy focus on the well-being of those who offer to provide reproductive services, those who receive those services, and the offspring born of any such donation,” says Judith Daar, JD, chair of ASRM’s ethics committee.
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Survey: Device Industry Reps in OR Viewed Positively by Surgeons
Many orthopedic trauma surgeons may see some significant ethical concerns if a drug company representative wanted to be present during all of their procedures.
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New Tool Assesses Families’ Satisfaction With End-of-life Care
A new tool is available to assess family members’ satisfaction with end-of-life care in long-term care.
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More Than 90% of POLST Forms Correct and Complete
Researchers reviewed resuscitation (Section A) and level of medical intervention (Section B) orders in 268,386 forms in the Oregon POLST Registry, and 10,122 forms in the West Virginia e-Directive Registry. -
Increased Hospice Length of Stay for Children Receiving Palliative Care
Children who receive palliative care have increased hospice length of stay, according to a recent study.