Gail Geller, ScD, MHS and Paul A. Watkins, MD, PhD
Six cohorts of first-year medical students have been shown to have negative attitudes about obesity that are consistent over time. Attitudes can be improved, however, by using popular media and an ethics framework to discuss personal experiences and beliefs about obesity.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(10):E948-959. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.948.
Elizabeth Boskey, PhD, MPH, MSSW, Amir Taghinia, MD, and Oren Ganor, MD
Training should be implemented to respond to clinical staff members’ concerns about trans patients occupying sex-segregated spaces and to help mitigate anti-trans bias.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(11):E1067-1074. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.1067.
Professional society guidelines can be used to set standards for clinical practice instead of government. This approach could help if federal or state policymakers view discarding embryos as ethically equivalent to abortion.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(12):E1160-1167. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.1160.
Being undocumented is a risk factor for mental illness, and immigration status relates prominently to overall health. That’s enough to consider it protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule.
AMA J Ethics. 2019;21(1):E32-37. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2019.32.
William F. Parker, MD, MS and Marshall H. Chin, MD, MPH
Given organ scarcity, transplantation programs state that patient promises of compliance cannot be taken at face value, excluding candidates who are deemed untrustworthy.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(5):E408-415. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.408.