Hospital Publication
RSSArticles
-
Ethicists Expect Difficult Questions on AI Tools to Come Up During Consults
Artificial intelligence (AI) prognostic tools introduce ethical concerns about transparency, consent, bias, and explainability. Ethicists play a vital role in guiding responsible use, supporting clinicians, and preparing for challenging scenarios where AI intersects with patient care decisions.
-
DOJ Targeting Healthcare for False Claims Act Enforcement
Federal regulators and law enforcement are looking hard at healthcare organizations for False Claims Act (FCA) violations at the same time other sectors are enjoying less scrutiny. Healthcare leaders should take a hard look at their compliance programs to ensure they are doing all they can to avoid FCA enforcement actions.
-
Informed Consent Is Central Ethics Concern with Xenotransplantation Clinical Trials
Xenotransplant trials raise ethical issues, particularly around informed consent. Researchers must address participant understanding, therapeutic misconceptions, long-term risks, and vulnerable populations while ensuring transparency, safety, and equitable decision-making.
-
Growing Ethical Concerns on Group Harm in ‘Data-Centric’ Research
Data-centric research poses risks not only to individuals but also to identifiable groups. Experts urge institutional review boards and researchers to recognize potential group harms, implement community engagement, and ensure responsible data use to avoid stigmatization and social harm.
-
Surrogate Decision-Makers’ Trust in Clinical Team Is Affected by Many Factors
Trust between surrogate decision-makers and intensive care unit teams is shaped by communication, empathy, and perceived competence. Breakdown of trust can hinder care decisions, while proactive, transparent engagement helps align treatment with patient values and reduces family conflict.
-
Family Might Have Valid Reasons to Override Patient’s Advance Directive
Ethical conflicts often arise when families seek to override a patient’s advance directive. Ethicists guide clinicians through complex cases, weighing patient intent, medical changes, and best interests while addressing emotional and legal tensions around end-of-life care decisions.
-
New Data Inform Decision-Making on Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy Timing
New research challenges assumptions about prognosis in severe traumatic brain injury cases, showing some patients recover well despite poor indicators. Ethicists emphasize caution and individualized decisions.
-
Georgia Supreme Court Revives Vicarious Liability Claim
The Georgia Supreme Court has revived a vicarious liability claim in a medical malpractice lawsuit that raises important questions about the role of medical students and the legal responsibility of supervising physicians. The case stems from a surgical injury that occurred during a 2019 hysterectomy, in which a medical student under the supervision of two attending physicians allegedly caused harm by misplacing a surgical instrument.
-
Trial Court’s ‘Confusing’ Instruction Did Not Doom Verdict, Appeals Court Says
A Georgia appellate court has reinstated a defense verdict in a closely watched medical malpractice case arising from complications following a total knee replacement. The case centered on a plaintiff who alleged that a surgeon failed to promptly diagnose and treat a postoperative infection in his left knee.
-
Alternative Dispute Resolution Underused in Most Hospitals
Hospitals have been slow to make use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) agreements to avoid litigation and bring about more satisfactory conclusions to claims.