Medical Ethics Advisor – August 1, 2014
August 1, 2014
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POLST forms linked with "much higher level" of meeting patients’ wishes for end-of-life care
Patients get the specific care they want at the end of life when they document their wishes using a physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) form, according to a recent study. -
Can bioethicists help to decrease preventable readmissions?
Bioethicists can advocate for improved communication with family caregivers when a patient is going to be discharged from the hospital. -
Experience with end-of-life care makes advance care planning more likely
Older individuals who have experience with end-of-life care of others demonstrate greater readiness to participate in advance care planning, according to a recent study. -
Ethics at forefront of predictive genetic testing in children
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommended in 2013 that predictive genetic testing for adult-onset disorders should not be done in children. -
Controversy over "comfort feeding only" for dementia patients
Advance directives enabling people with advanced dementia to refuse food and water as a way of hastening death are controversial. -
Organ donation consent rates much lower among minorities
Organ donation consent rates are significantly lower among Hispanics, blacks, and Asians compared to whites, according to recent studies. -
FDA holds hearings on new method of assisted reproduction
The Food and Drug Administration recently held hearings on mitochondrial manipulation to determine whether additional research is needed before proceeding to clinical trials. Ethical concerns include: