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Is Palliative Care Expertise Inadequate at your Institution?

Hospitals are challenged to meet patients’ palliative care needs despite a scarcity of specialists, lack of training, and persistent misconceptions.

Impaired physicians have ethical obligation to self-report, experts say

Do physicians have diminished capacity as a result of substance abuse, burnout, behavioral or psychological issues, or physical illness? Regardless of the reason for impairment, physicians have an ethical obligation to protect their patients from harm.

Parents eager for newborn genomic testing; ethical questions currently unanswered

Parents have widespread interest in genome sequencing for newborns, regardless of their demographic background, according to a recent study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Researchers queried 514 parents within 48 hours of a child’s birth.¹

Voice ethical concerns — not just during consults, but organizationwide

Clinical ethicists can voice concerns not just during consults involving individual patients, but also more generally to address organizationwide issues.

Disruptive behavior isn’t always addressed, either in policy or practice

Disruptive behavior remains a common occurrence in health care; organizations may lack policies to identify, prevent, and address such behavior.

How bioethicists can encourage disclosure of medical errors

Despite patients’ growing expectations that medical errors and unexpected outcomes will be disclosed openly, the practice is infrequent.

Study: Residents uncomfortable with end-of-life conversations

Internal medicine residents remained uncomfortable with end-of-life care discussions even after receiving additional training, according to a recent study.

Evidence of economic burden of disparate care for minorities continues to grow

A recent tragic case involving informed consent obtained from parents with limited English proficiency led to a successful lawsuit against the hospital. Eliminating health disparities for minorities would have reduced direct medical care expenditures by $229.4 billion for the years 2003-2006, according to a 2011 study. “If we don’t get a handle on health disparities, the implications are far bigger than social justice,” says LaVeist, the study’s lead author.

Network of bioethicists gives guidance to investigators with research ethics issues

The Clinical Research Ethics Consultation, a group of 40 bioethicists at 30 institutions, helps investigators resolve ethical issues that arise during research.

Measles outbreak puts spotlight on vaccine refusers: Providers need ethical responses

An increasing number of pediatricians are encountering families requesting an altered vaccine schedule or refusing vaccines altogether; some are responding by dismissing families from their practices, according to a study.