Annette Hanson, MD, Ron Pies, MD, and Mark Komrad, MD
Authors respond to “How Should Physicians Care for Dying Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis?” by arguing that patients’ motives for accessing death with dignity laws should be thoroughly explored and that temporarily limiting patient autonomy can promote well-being at the end of life.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(11):E1107-1109. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.1107.
Alexander Craig, MPhil and Elizabeth Dzeng, MD, PhD, MPH
Responding to “Added Points of Concern about Caring for Dying Patients,” authors argue that physicians’ refusal to prescribe lethal drugs in accordance with states’ death with dignity laws could damage patient-physician relationships and harm patients.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(11):E1110-1112. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.1110.
Antonio Yaghy, MD, Jerry A. Shields, MD, and Carol L. Shields, MD
Two digital photo-paintings address AI applications in medicine narratively and visually, with special emphasis on communication, compassion, and competence.
AMA J Ethics. 2019;21(11):E1009-1013. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2019.1009.
This month on Ethics Talk, Dr Sheryl Fleisch discusses strategies for delivering health services to people experiencing homelessness, including street psychiatry.
Dr Adam T. Perzynski joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Kurt C. Stange: “How Should Clinicians Ally With Patients Whose Health Is Unlikely to Be Improved by Even Numerous Clinical Encounters?”
Dr Zoe Tao and Dr Michael Oldani join Ethics Talk to discuss how learning about transgenerational trauma can help clinicians motivate health equity, especially among historically marginalized groups like Native American and First Nations communities.
Dr Travis Rieder discusses his own experiences with opioids and the ethical challenges of “legacy patients,” and Dr Stephanie Zaza, president of the American College of Preventive Medicine, discusses the future of opioid research priorities.
The legal definition of a patient and the corresponding duties of the physician have been debated in state courts for over a century, and many aspects of the question are still unresolved.