Medical Ethics Advisor – October 1, 2015
October 1, 2015
View Issues
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Aggressive end-of-life care persists in cancer patients
Despite a 40% increase in the number of patients with cancer who designated a durable power of attorney, there was no decrease in the rates of aggressive medical care received in the last weeks of life, according to a recent study.
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Placebo effect eases pain — even if participants are aware
The placebo effect eases pain even if research participants know the treatment they are receiving has no medical value whatsoever, according to a recent study.
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Is patient’s POLST form inaccessible to provider?
Even if patients’ end-of-life wishes are meticulously documented using a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form, they sometimes are ignored simply because a provider can’t locate the form.
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Is it ethical to practice invasive procedures on the newly dead?
Is it ethical to use the bodies of newly dead patients to practice invasive procedures such as thoracotomies, cricothyrotomies, lateral canthotomies, or venous cutdowns?
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Did the provider “Google” a patient?
Of 530 medical students, residents and physicians, 64 used Google to research a patient, and 10 had searched for patients on Facebook, according to a recent survey.