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.
Ashok, a Nepali man with neurofibromatosis, has undergone 3 surgeries to remove facially disfiguring tumors. His portrait is one of over 200 exhibited by this artist-researcher and mother.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(6):E513-524. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.513.
Good design can help transform health care, in part because it involves drawing on a wide range of perspectives and experiences. This month, we talked with a health care designer, a patient advocate, and a physician to learn how “design thinking” can be successfully incorporated into health care systems and applications.
Cynthia E. Schairer, PhD, Caryn Kseniya Rubanovich, MS, and Cinnamon S. Bloss, PhD
Questions about data privacy need to be addressed when research institutions negotiate with companies developing mobile health applications. Commercial terms of use and data sharing notifications should be reviewed before use in human subject research settings.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(9):E864-872. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.864.
Is it ethical for a psychiatrist to monitor a patient’s blog without the patient’s permission? If so, what information from the blog is suitable for entry in the patient’s medical record?
Health care professionals’ use of social media can pose ethical challenges related to the boundary between professional and personal identities, privacy, confidentiality, and the trustworthiness of health care professionals.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(11):1009-1018. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.11.peer1-1511.