Medical Ethics Advisor
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Policies Support Clinicians if Asked to Provide Inappropriate Care
When a family demands possibly inappropriate life-sustaining interventions, clinicians often turn to hospital policies for guidance. The authors of a recent study examined the effectiveness of Yale New Haven Hospital’s Conscientious Practice Policy. A theme emerged, focused on the inconsistent use of the policy. Whether it was used depended mostly on how resistant the family was to limiting interventions.
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Lack of Metrics, Specificity, and Regulations Concern Some Ethics Services
To some, there is a perception that regulatory agencies still consider ethics a small-volume service handled by a volunteer committee instead of a critical, high-volume service run by paid ethics staff. A few professionals in the trenches believe this critical subject is taken too lightly.
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Healthcare Professionals Should Complete Their Own Advance Care Planning Directives
If providers manage their own plans, they can share firsthand insights. They will be in a better position to inform, guide, and support their patients. It will make them a more effective, trusted, and knowledgeable resource.
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Ethics Services Taking First Steps Toward Preventive Work
Preventive ethics work, aimed at topics of high institutional concern, shows how ethicists can not only comment on issues but also sometimes prevent them from occurring.
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Survey Reveals Widespread Discrimination in Healthcare
In addition to racial/ethnic discrimination, survey respondents reported discrimination based on education, income level, weight, sex, and age. Ethicists play a major role in applying methodological and theoretical tools to respond effectively to this problem.
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‘Blatant Wrongdoing’: Wrongful Prolongation of Life Cases Surge
An expert witness who has testified in multiple wrongful prolongation of life cases and has advised health systems on how to avoid these cases shares helpful advice in the Q&A.
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Hospitals Sued for Wrongful Prolongation of Life: Ethicists Offer Unique Expertise
The point of the litigation is it is a medical error to provide too much treatment, just as it is to provide too little treatment. If it is clear patients did not want it, then clinicians should not provide it.
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Nurse ‘Ambassador’ Programs Pose Significant Ethical Concerns
Nurses who are approached by a drug company for this kind of position should think twice about becoming involved in this new role. Consider the ethical challenges that may present. Discuss with the company how to handle these.
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Nurse Leaders Report Ethical Dilemmas Related to Patient Care, Work Environment
Patient care issues and work environment issues require critical reasoning. Nurse leaders need help with both of these issues. Ethicists could help by taking a more active role in developing educational content for nurse leaders.
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Altruism Is Factor in Perceived Ethical Obligation to Share Health Data
Research participation often is viewed as a selfless act, with participants enrolling in studies with little expectation of reward or benefit in return. The assumption is most participate with the anticipation findings from research will help others. Investigators explored if this perception also was true in terms of allowing one’s health information to be used.