Jessica Pierce, PhD, Marc Bekoff, PhD, Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH, Barbara J. King, PhD, and L. Syd M. Johnson, PhD
Our letter objects to the inclusion, in the April issue, of "Answers to Patient, Student, and Clinician Questions About How Animals Are Slaughtered and Used for Food," by Temple Grandin.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(6):E461-463. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.461.
Rachelle E. Bernacki, MD, MS and Susan D. Block, MD
The Serious Illness Communication Checklist provides clinicians with a tool to facilitate discussions about end-of-life issues at the right time in the right way and document the vital information the discussion elicits.
Cancer chemoprevention is rooted in the concept that ingesting certain phytochemicals from specific plants can boost the intrinsic defensive mechanisms of cells that protect against oxidative damage, inflammation, and DNA-damaging chemicals.
The Association of American Medical Colleges has added and refined questions about mistreatment in medical education to its Graduation Questionnaire, increasing the amount and specificity of information about what kinds of incidents occur and how students feel about them.
It may be ethical in medical school admissions to take into account candidates' nonacademic attributes like specialty interests, but this becomes problematic if the instruments used to measure these attributes are not validated or supported by evidence.
Telemedicine's potential to advance humanitarian efforts can be realized through further research into best practices, codification of responsibilities and liabilities, counseling and informed consent prior to the creation of electronic health records, strengthening of IT infrastructure, and the integration of an informatics curriculum into residency training programs.
Thomas W. LeBlanc, MD, MA, MHS and Arif H. Kamal, MD, MBA, MHS
Clinical trials should assess patients’ distress and test interventions to address it, just as they assess adverse events and test novel therapeutic agents.
AMA J Ethics. 2017;19(5):460-466. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.5.stas1-1705.
Taking the time to retell patients' stories in medical record notes offers an opportunity to hone writing skills that will promote understanding of patient problems, improve the clarity of future notes, and, in some cases, help teach someone else.