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Medical Ethics Advisor

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  • Flu vaccine for HCWs: Compliance, liability issues

    The severe nationwide shortage of killed flu vaccine has put a stop, at least temporarily, to initiatives in some places that would force health care workers to be vaccinated or risk their jobs, but some health care experts warn that the solution advocated by at least one state that health care workers forego the vaccine entirely so that more is available for higher-risk groups could be dangerous to the very people it aims to protect.
  • Are nonprofit hospitals preying on the uninsured?

    To the attorneys, the question of whether nonprofit hospitals are living up to their mission to provide health care to those who cant afford it is purely a consumer-protection question. But to a physician who blew the whistle on one hospital, its much more of a human question.
  • News Briefs

    Judge approves physician- Aetna settlement; Some British med students justify sex with patients; Prosecution urged for flu vaccine price gouging; Health disparities persist between Hispanics, whites.
  • Parents of dying children mourn what they didn’t say

    Children who know they will die soon face many common fears, including loss of control, pain, and causing sadness to their families. Swedish researchers have found that parents who talked openly with their dying children about these and other related issues did not regret it, while parents who avoided the painful discussions now wish they hadnt.
  • AMA Code of Ethics still applies a century later

    Despite having been written 157 years ago, the American Medical Associations (AMAs) Code of Medical Ethics still is a critical tool for solving day-to-day ethical dilemmas, according to experts who recently evaluated the guide.
  • Soliciting for ‘gift of life’ causes controversy

    A Texas man whose family circumvented the national organ donor registry by mounting an Internet and billboard campaign asking for a donated liver not only was successful in obtaining a liver, but also succeeded in escalating the national debate over the ethics of soliciting anonymous directed donations.
  • Discussing Death with Children

    When discussing death, always use language that the child will understand. Parents and health care providers should consider the following:
  • Incentives to physicians: Wise policy or risky temptation?

    With the advent of managed health care came the need for managed care organizations (MCOs) to develop ways to convince physicians of the need to cut unnecessary medical costs. The resulting growth of incentives to physicians both real and perceived brought on debate that has yet to abate among health care professionals, legislators, and the public.
  • What’s the best approach to HPV prevention?

    A U.S. congressman caused a stir in public health and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention circles in December by accusing federal health officials of failing to comply with federal law and asking them to testify at a special hearing.
  • Should surgery be an option for obese adolescents?

    With a significant percentage of the U.S. population deemed overweight, surgical treatments for obesity have become much more widespread.