Weight loss is not a safe, effective, or permanent method of health promotion, and pharmacotherapeutical approaches pose specific risks to adolescents.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(7):E478-495. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.478.
Physicians have a responsibility to assess elderly patients for conditions that could affect their ability to drive safely and to be familiar with state laws that govern physician duty to report impaired drivers.
Physicians should not perform involuntary drug testing on an adolescent with decisional capacity without strong medical or legal reasons, even if the parents request the test.
Physicians have a responsibility to balance patient confidentiality and full disclosure to the family of adolescent patients with eating disorders in order to provide optimal treatment.
In treating sports injuries in athletes who may wish to return to play before fully recovering, physicians can simultaneously uphold the principles of respect for autonomy and beneficence by developing a return-to-play plan, which allows patients to take responsibility for meeting goals at each stage of their recovery.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(6):511-514. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.6.ecas3-1506.
An adolescent patient with poor social support who has already lost one transplanted kidney due to complications of nonadherence may not automatically be inappropriate to list for a second transplant if he can prove his ability to adhere to the demands of a dialysis regimen.
Conducting community-based research in the community where one resides demands careful planning, sensitivity to community members’ privacy, and a strong commitment to full and respectful communication.