Medical Ethics Advisor – November 1, 2013
November 1, 2013
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Fourth state allows physician aid in dying: Is it an affront to palliative care?
Vermont, Oregon, Washington, and Montana now allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients who meet certain criteria and request lethal prescriptions. -
Ethicists’ recommendations aren’t always accepted
Clinical ethicists typically play an advisory role, and their recommendations arent always accepted or followed by the clinical team. -
Physicians face ethical balancing act with pain management
New research suggests that efforts to improve the identification and treatment of pain may have contributed to an over-reliance on prescription opioids. -
Ruling likely to make genetic testing more affordable
The Supreme Courts recent ruling that DNA is a product of nature and not patent-eligible is expected to lower prices and make genetic tests more accessible to larger segments of the population. -
Social media changing patient-MD relationship
Social media provides significant opportunities in medical practice, but ethical concerns include inappropriate use, which threatens the relationship between physicians and patients. -
Ethics of minors’ access to emergency contraception
Patient autonomy and parental rights are two primary ethical concerns involving access to emergency contraception, which was recently approved with over-the-counter status without age restriction.