Browse Medical Ethics Articles by Topic

Historical Exposé on Sugar Industry Funding Research has Relevant Lessons for Current IRBs

A recently published study linking secret funding by the sugar industry to bias in research studies published in the 1960s is less a historical curiosity than a clear warning to IRBs to remain vigilant about conflicts of interest.

Highlights from Final Rule on Clinical Trial Results Submissions

The NIH published the final rule, “Clinical Trials Registration and Results Information Submission,” on Sept. 21, 2016, with an effective date of Jan. 18, 2017.

New NIH/FDA Rules Will Bring Greater Transparency to Clinical Trials

The new rules published this fall by the NIH and FDA about reporting clinical trial results will expand transparency in research and give the world more knowledge about the effectiveness of investigational and new drugs and devices, FDA and NIH officials say.

EU Will Require More Clinical Trial Transparency — Will U.S. Be Next?

The European Union soon will require investigators to give people the kind of transparent, easy-to-access clinical trials information they’ve been conditioned to expect in the age of Google.

Undergrads See Real-Life Ethics by Shadowing Clinicians

Research suggests that medical schools can neither improve ethical inclinations, nor guarantee progress in moral reasoning for students who lack well-developed moral motivation and moral sensitivity when starting such training.

When Should a Threatening Patient be Reported?

Recent amendments to federal patient privacy regulations give clinicians new allowance to report patients with mental health issues, but state laws may differ.

Report: Proposed Common Rule Revisions Should be Withdrawn

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Revise the Common Rule should be withdrawn, according to a report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

Data On 2,000 Patients Gives Visual of Final Year of Life

Advance planning discussions rarely occur at the time of a life-threatening diagnosis. This, in part, is responsible for the large number of in-hospital deaths depicted by a new visual graphic on the last year of life.

Getting Buy-in For Including Cost in Decision-making is Uphill Battle

Any talk of considering costs in treatment decisions usually triggers an immediate outcry against “rationing” of care, experts say.

Is Hospital Keeping Spiritual Care Promises In Mission Statement?

Ethicists and chaplains can hold health systems accountable for mission statements referencing “whole person” care and spiritual health.