The social institutions of medicine and the state have a complex history of interaction in which doctors have been the originators of political ideals, goals, and social change but equally often have found themselves to be instruments of political authority.
One of the many doors money and power often open gives access to opioids where they would otherwise be withheld without strict oversight and management. Elvis Presley provides perhaps the most famous example of unmanaged access to drugs.
If health information is private, why do we know so much about Prince’s death? Critical legal and ethical questions remain unsettled about whether and when it is appropriate for medical examiners or coroners to release information from autopsy reports to the public.
AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(8):839-842. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.8.msoc2-1608.
Social and behavioral data contained in electronic health records are essential for studying health disparities. Can researchers avoid bias when collecting, analyzing, and using such data?
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(9):E873-880. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.873.
John Timothy Kayiwa, MSc, Benard Matovu, MS, Michael Mutebi, Charity Angella Nassuna, MSc, Leonara Nabatanzi, Kevin T. Castle, DVM, MS, Robert M. Kityo, PhD, MS, and Rebekah C. Kading, PhD, MS
Bats are diverse mammals, globally distributed and ecologically critical, yet some carry disease agents that have severe consequences for human health.
AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(2):E153-161. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2024.153.
Ensuring the ethical acceptability of telemedicine requires avoiding one-size-fits-all solutions and protecting the patient-physician relationship, patient privacy, and patient-centered care.
Health information technology, like prior technological advances in medicine, can improve patient care and enhance the patient-physician relationship if used properly and thoughtfully.