An ethical case that was eventually decided in the US Supreme Court involves the right of patients to request an independent third-party review if their HMO refuses to authorize treatments or procedures deemed medically necessary.
The authors of a recent journal article believe that most doctors and clinical trial sponsors would not object to changes in regulations requiring doctors to disclose financial incentives to their patients.
A physician describes how patients are selected for gastric bypass surgery in his practice and the lifelong relationship he commits to with his surgical patients.
Patients for gastric bypass surgery should be carefully selected on the basis of several objective factors, and those chosen should be treated and monitored by specialized teams to optimize outcomes.
An ethical case describes an accident where a minor is killed while bungee jumping and her older brother must decide if her wishes to be an organ donor should be honored.
Those conducting Western-style clinical trial research in developing countries must consider the manner in which ethical principals are implemented within local standards of care.
Readers are referred to an article by Reg Green in a 1995 issue of JAMA to consider the experience of health care from the patient's perspective as told by the father of an organ donor.