Expertise in Medicine
The February issue examines expertise in medicine. Commentators discuss individual clinical judgment vs evidence-based medicine, the importance of a clinical background for those involved in the ethics consultation process, and sensitivity to cross-cultural ethics in serving a diverse population of patients and families. A medical education article shows how simulation offers medical students the opportunity to build advanced skills while protecting patient safety. Two articles discuss the definition of expertise in bioethics: one examines the need for credentialing in the field and the other, the ethics of consulting for pharmaceutical corporations. The health law section looks at Daubert vs Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the classic case about what constitutes expert medical testimony. Finally, the evolving expertise of the hospitalist is viewed from two points of view.