Jessica Pierce, PhD, Marc Bekoff, PhD, Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH, Barbara J. King, PhD, and L. Syd M. Johnson, PhD
Our letter objects to the inclusion, in the April issue, of "Answers to Patient, Student, and Clinician Questions About How Animals Are Slaughtered and Used for Food," by Temple Grandin.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(6):E461-463. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.461.
The AMA Code and Principles provide guidance on how to educate and counsel patients about meat consumption and about their advocacy roles in reducing meat production.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(4):E269-271. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.269.
Physicians who encounter a patient who is suffering from depression may find it necessary to breach confidentiality and patient autonomy in order to act in the best interest of the patient.
The U. S. health care system encourages patients to take more responsibility for their own treatment decisions and expects their doctors to cooperate in that effort. But the guidelines for exercising that responsibility remain very murky indeed.