Browse Medical Ethics Articles by Topic

Nurses, Physicians Consider Different Factors to Decide on Family Presence During Resuscitation

Nurses and acute care physicians consider different factors for making decisions on family presence during resuscitation, found a recent study.

Ethicists Have More Evidence That Consults Are Effective, But Outcomes Inconsistent

Ethics consults are linked to high satisfaction and more likelihood of consensus, but outcomes used are inconsistent, found a recent study.

Caregiver Knowledge Affects Mortality of Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices

How well caregivers understand the patient’s illness affects mortality rates of patients with left ventricular assist devices, found a study.

Ethics of Withholding Fertility Services From Prospective Parents

Fertility programs may withhold services from prospective parents due to valid concerns that they’ll be unable to care adequately for offspring, according to an updated position statement from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

Physicians Rely on Device Reps, but Have Ethical Concerns

Surgeons are concerned about conflicts of interest and patient safety due to the increasing presence of device representatives in operating rooms. However, the surgeons also rely on those reps, found a recent study.

Nonessential Meds, Including Vitamins, Often Continued in Dying Patients

Nonessential medications, such as vitamins, often are continued in actively dying, hospitalized patients, concluded a recent study.

Residents Reporting More Moral Distress

Trainees are reporting moral distress more frequently, according to bioethicists interviewed by Medical Ethics Advisor.

Misconceptions on Meaning of DNR Status Surprisingly Common Among Clinical Team

Clinicians sometimes assume DNR status means a preference for comfort measures only, but this is not necessarily the case.

Study: Pain Research Can Harm Participants

Researchers must pay greater attention to the rights of study participants in pain research, concludes a recent paper by the Ethics Committee of the Pain-Omics Group.

Is It Safe? NIH Ends Moratorium on Enhancing Pandemic Pathogens

"Gain-of-function” research designed to make pathogens deadlier or more transmissible in order to develop treatments and countermeasures has been given a green light by the National Institutes of Health.