Medical Ethics Advisor – March 1, 2020
March 1, 2020
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Hospital Leaders Asking Questions About ‘Value’ of Clinical Ethics to Organization
Administrators expect to see evidence that a clinical ethical program is worth supporting with financial resources. Yet many ethicists are unprepared for this kind of conversation, one that requires data for an effective response.
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Ethical Response Needed if Surrogate Disregards Patients’ Wishes
The role of surrogate decision-makers is to make decisions consistent with the patient’s previously expressed wishes, written documents, and values. But that is not what usually happens. Lack of communication between the patient and the surrogate and/or between the surrogate and the medical team is the biggest obstacle.
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Researchers Identify Ethical Concerns With Pragmatic Trials
Research participants reported ethical concerns about how “minimal” risk is determined, when it is appropriate to alter traditional informed consent practices, and how to distinguish between quality improvement and research.
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Payment for Physician Referrals: Difficult for Hospital Leaders to Maintain ‘Clean Hands’
For years, federal laws (and some state laws) have prohibited hospitals from paying physicians for referrals. Yet some hospitals continue unethical and illegal practices, possibly due to a perception of low risk.
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Ethics Guidance for Surgeons on Humanitarian Missions
Investigators developed curriculum to help surgeons review the core bioethical principles of medicine and surgery as these apply to the humanitarian and global health context.
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Ethics Recommendations Span Years for Some Patients
When someone requests an ethics consult, the patient’s social and clinical history is important to know. So is the history of ethicists’ involvement. It is not uncommon for a consult service to be called multiple times over several to assist with a care question that resurfaces.
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Tips for Device Reps and Clinicians Searching for Ethics Advice
Collaborative relationships help develop new medical technologies, and ensure they are used safely and effectively. A recently updated ethics code clarifies socially responsible conduct related to these interactions.
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Data Reveal Knowledge Gaps on Physician-Assisted Suicide
There are physicians who support the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (also known as physician-assisted death or aid-in-dying), but they may have different feelings about actually practicing it themselves. Sixty percent of U.S. physicians believe physician-assisted suicide should be legal, according to the results of a recent study. Yet of that group, only 13% indicated they would be willing to perform the practice if it were legal.
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Residents’ Compassionate Behaviors Vary During Informed Consent
The authors of a recent study examined how compassionate 65 anesthesia residents were during a simulated preoperative evaluation of a patient in acute pain scheduled for urgent surgery. They found substantial variability in the compassionate care behaviors of anesthesiology residents during the informed consent procedure.