When patients are unable to express their wishes and do not have surrogates or advance directives, which and whose values should inform decision making for them? We discuss ethical complexities of caring for unrepresented patients.
Patrick S. Phelan, Mary C. Politi, PhD, and Christopher J. Dy, MD, MPH
During immediate and long-term recovery periods, decisions must account for patients’ personal goals and possible clinical outcomes and should clarify what recovery means.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(5):E380-387. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.380.
Victoire Fokom Defo, MD and Joël Fokom Domgue, MD, MPH
HPV tests are alternatives to Pap smear screening that enable women to self-collect specimens and might be the best cervical cancer prevention strategy for many.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(2):E116-125. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.116.
A 3-step analgesic ladder was introduced in 1986 and needs change. Surgical interventions could reduce opioid use and motivate expansion of current pain management approaches.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(8):E695-701. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.695.
Ava Ferguson Bryan, MD, AM, Elizabeth Yates, MD, MPH, and Neelima Tummala, MD, MSc
The health sector has obligations and ample opportunities to protect health by decreasing waste and motivating more system-wide sustainable clinical practices.
AMA J Ethics. 2022;24(10):E927-933. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2022.927.
Dumping domestic and international health care waste into the earth’s terra firma and oceans undermine global health equity and the health of vulnerable communities.
AMA J Ethics. 2022;24(10):E986-993. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2022.986.
Dr Jing Li joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Dr Robert Tyler Braun, Sophia Kakarala, and Dr Holly G. Prigerson: “How Should Cost-Informed Goals of Care Decisions Be Facilitated at Life’s End?”