Medical Ethics Advisor – June 1, 2008
June 1, 2008
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Truth-telling and hope: Not mutually exclusive at end of life
"At what price is cure a goal? And what price does hope carry?" Lindsay E. Rockwell, MD, a Northampton, MA oncologist, wrote in a 2007 JAMA article. -
Genetic information gains federal bias protection
Genetics research tells us that every person has as many as six or even more genetic mutations placing him or her at risk for some disease. -
ACOG, under fire, vows to review conscience opinion
In the wake of complaints from doctors who said a November 2007 opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) threatened their rights of conscience, ACOG has issued a statement insisting it "affirms the importance of conscience in shaping ethical professional conduct" and will re-examine the controversial opinion, which states that physicians who oppose sterilization and abortion are compelled to refer patients to doctors who don't object to the procedures. -
Advance directives guide decisions for dementia
When research calls for recruiting patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, it's often hard to know whether patients would want to participate had they been able to make the decision themselves. -
FDA said to have ignored blood-substitute dangers
By ignoring red flags of dangers posed to patients subjected to tests of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes (HBBS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed trials to continue when stopping them eight years ago would have saved lives, a blistering report released in April asserts. -
High-minority practices see delays, less funding
A physician working in a clinic that sees a high percentage of minority patients who live in public housing reports a difficult time obtaining reports from other providers; his peers in more affluent parts of town who see fewer minority patients report no such delays.