Medical Ethics Advisor
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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.
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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.
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Homelessness Raises Unique Ethical Concerns on End-of-Life Care
Homelessness complicates end-of-life care because of isolation, surrogate scarcity, and structural barriers. Ethicists should collaborate with interprofessional teams to ensure respectful, context-aware care and advocate for inclusive policies addressing this vulnerable population’s needs.
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Study Investigators Provide Research Ethics Training to Community Members
Tailored ethics training empowers community and youth researchers to engage meaningfully in human subjects research. These programs foster inclusion, mutual respect, and ethical literacy, enabling more equitable, participant-informed research processes and Institutional Review Board engagement.
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IRBs Inconsistently Assess Scientific Merit
Institutional Review Boards inconsistently assess scientific merit, risking participant harm and ethical breaches. Lack of standardization, expertise gaps, and institutional conflicts undermine protections. Ethicists can advocate for rigorous review standards and transparent, participant-centered protocols.
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Psychiatric Patient Capacity Evaluations Likely Highlight Other Ethical Issues
Psychiatric capacity evaluations often involve hidden ethical challenges, such as treatment refusal, surrogate ambiguity, and racial bias. Ethicists assist in contextualizing decisions, preserving autonomy, and supporting providers in ethically fraught scenarios involving complex patient values.
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Ethical Debate Continues Over Access to Investigational Cell- and Gene-Based Interventions
Expanded access to unapproved gene and cell therapies raises ethical concerns around safety, informed consent, fairness, and regulatory compliance. Ethicists help balance compassionate access with clinical oversight, protecting vulnerable populations amid rapidly advancing science.
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Root Causes of Moral Distress Vary; Ethicists Can Help
Moral distress in clinicians stems from ethical dilemmas, hostile environments, and systemic failures. Ethicists play a crucial role in identifying causes, facilitating dialogue, and supporting clinicians in navigating distress, especially in high-stakes fields such as radiology and pediatrics.
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Most Direct-to-Consumer Cancer Ads Are Non-Compliant with Ethical Guidelines
Most direct-to-consumer cancer center ads fail ethical standards, often misleading patients with unrealistic claims, false hope, and unclear clinical trial eligibility. This raises concerns about misinformation, inequity, and insufficient regulatory enforcement in healthcare marketing.
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Ethical Concerns Raised by Surprising New Data on the Effect of the Revised Common Rule
The revised Common Rule (the U.S. Basic Federal Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects) was implemented in 2019 to enhance protections for human research subjects. Min-Fu Tsan, MD, PhD, wanted to know how well the revised Rule has achieved its stated goals.