Articles

The ambiguity about and lack of uniformity in informed consent practices does not lend itself to the kind of shield from malpractice liability that exists in some more concrete, standardizable aspects of medical practice.

Many treatments are given to patients who have little to gain from them.

Although not everything on the Choosing Wisely lists is likely to reduce low-value care, it is a good starting point for a conversation about curtailing low-value interventions.

A digital record of place history and environmental context can provide a piece of clinically relevant information to help physicians understand what toxins patients may have been exposed to.

Variations in medical practice are far more complex than the simple narrative popularly attributed to the Dartmouth Atlas.

Decisions about whether to pursue IVF for savior siblings are difficult to make when probable success rates differ by clinic and evidence is lacking.

There is not a convincing case for the United States government to mandate insurance coverage for IVF.

If the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's recommendations for egg-donor compensation limits have been successful, they violate antitrust law. If they are ineffective, egg donors are not being sufficiently protected against coercion and commodification.

The medical science of assisted reproduction presents many ethical questions, as does concern about regulating the commercial side of the enterprise.

While a physician cannot lie for a surrogate mother, he or she should offer to be by her side in any discussions with the intended parents.