Establishing criteria for compassion maximization would help us do better than harm minimization.

Public health surveillance for infectious disease provides a model for a mandatory reporting policy for human trafficking, which poses risks for survivors.

Trauma care presumes informed consent for treatment, but resident supervision is required within a training structure of graduated responsibility.

When a child or family begins to stand out because of patterns in history or physical findings, physicians must determine whether to take a closer look at the situation.

Emergency medical consultations share with other emergencies the need for prompt action, potentially without information or tools ordinarily available.

Victims of sexual violence who are minors should not be forced to submit to a rape kit exam against their wishes since it might retraumatize the patient.

When a severely ill child comes into the emergency room, assent for emergency care is no more required than is parental permission. Conveying the needed care is the top priority.

Even when external factors such as nonaccidental injury weigh heavily on clinicians' perceptions, they should not lose focus on the patient's best interest when deciding whether to continue or withdraw treatment.