Medical Ethics Advisor
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Study: Only About One-third of Adults Completed Advance Directives
Only about one-third (37%) of U.S. adults had completed any type of advance directive, found a recent review of studies.
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Revised Common Rule Is Changing Informed Consent
The recently updated Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, also called the Common Rule, is changing informed consent practices in two important ways.
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Can Intoxicated Patients Provide Informed Consent for Research?
It’s not uncommon for ED patients to present with acute intoxication. This complicates not only their clinical care, but also the informed consent process. A recent study set out to determine to what extent acute alcohol intoxication affects capacity to assent, consent, or refuse research participation.
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Unethical Marketing Practices for Stem Cell Treatments Continue
Recently passed legislation allows Texas clinics to bypass FDA approval for investigational stem cell treatments for patients with certain severe chronic diseases or terminal illnesses. The law alarmed ethicists who have been monitoring these practices.
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Patients Without Surrogates Pose Ethical Challenges at End of Life
The issue of incapacitated patients lacking surrogates has received growing attention, resulting in a newly updated position statement and several case studies.
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Increased Hospice Length of Stay for Children Receiving Palliative Care
Children who receive palliative care have increased hospice length of stay, according to a recent study.
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More Than 90% of POLST Forms Correct and Complete
Researchers reviewed resuscitation (Section A) and level of medical intervention (Section B) orders in 268,386 forms in the Oregon POLST Registry, and 10,122 forms in the West Virginia e-Directive Registry. -
New Tool Assesses Families’ Satisfaction With End-of-life Care
A new tool is available to assess family members’ satisfaction with end-of-life care in long-term care.
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Survey: Device Industry Reps in OR Viewed Positively by Surgeons
Many orthopedic trauma surgeons may see some significant ethical concerns if a drug company representative wanted to be present during all of their procedures.
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Ethics of Using Family Members as Egg Donors or Surrogates
“The ethical considerations surrounding intrafamilial gamete donation and gestational surrogacy focus on the well-being of those who offer to provide reproductive services, those who receive those services, and the offspring born of any such donation,” says Judith Daar, JD, chair of ASRM’s ethics committee.