Browse Medical Ethics Advisor Articles by Topic

Is It Right to Screen All Adults for Illicit Drug Use?

Primary care clinicians should screen all adults for illicit drug use, including nonmedical prescription drug use, according to a draft recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

New Guidance Targets Informed Consent for Stem Cell Therapies

Patients need to understand what is offered, whether a governmental authority has asserted its legislative right to regulate, and whether the intervention has complied with all applicable regulations.

Ethical Concerns if Opioids are Given in ED

Medicaid recipients are at moderate risk for conversion to opioid misuse after just one new prescription issued in the ED, according to the authors of a recent study.

ICU Team Members’ Ethics Knowledge Varies Widely

ICU team members may lack a common language to talk about ethical problems. These differences shape how ICU professionals think about an ethical dilemma — or even whether something is viewed as an ethical dilemma at all.

Participants Retained Information Best From Highlighted Informed Consent Form

Study participants retained more relevant information from a consent form based on revised U.S. Common Rule requirements than they did from other designs, according to the authors of a recent study.

Surprisingly Positive Parental Views on Genomic Testing for Seriously Ill Children

Bioethicists have raised many concerns about the possible negative effects of giving genomic information to patients and families. A recent study’s findings were reassuring.

Fee-for-Service, Value-Based Payment Models Pose Different Ethical Concerns

Physical therapists are facing some ethical dilemmas over reimbursements for quantity over quality, according to the authors of a recent study.

Limited Exposure to End-of-Life Care for Pediatric Residents

Ethicists can approach these cases with the awareness that from a learner perspective, these situations are rare and often one of the most challenging and memorable experiences of pediatric trainees.

Survey: More Difficult for Oncologists to Predict Minority Parents’ Decision-Making

Minority parents may feel less well-supported by clinicians in their decisions.

Palliative Care Widely Misunderstood by Patients and Professionals

In one study, 60% of adults self-reported as knowledgeable about palliative care have at least one misperception. In another similar study, researchers found that 70% of respondents had never heard of palliative care. Perhaps most concerning, a third study revealed 55% of caregivers have never heard of palliative care.