Sometimes, life-saving treatments have serious negative consequences. This month, AMA Journal of Ethics digital editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux discusses strategies for communicating about iatrogenic outcomes with Dr. Robert Nelson, a senior pediatric ethicist with the Food and Drug Administration, with a particular focus on how to enlist parents as allies in high-stress pediatric cases.
Nicole D. Damari, MS, Karan S. Ahluwalia, Anthony J. Viera, MD, MPH, and Adam O. Goldstein, MD, MPH
Continuing medical education (CME) attendance on gun safety is associated with firearm safety counseling and asking patients with depression about guns.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(1):56-68. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.1.stas1-1801.
Barriers to effective prognosis conversations include knowledge deficits, misconceptions, cultural differences, and lack of motivation. These can be addressed head-on by good communication interventions.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(8):E757-765. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.757.
Kyle B. Brothers, MD, PhD and Esther E. Knapp, MD, MBE
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing requires that physicians share decision making with patients, not order unnecessary tests or interventions, and refer to genetic specialists when necessary.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(9):E812-818. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.812.
This digital still from a narrated animated portrait depicts a woman overwhelmed by her body’s failure and by a health care system’s failure to care well.
AMA J Ethics. 2021;23(8):E658-659. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2021.658.
Differentiating between best palliative care options and the curative and palliative potential of surgery is key to developing dual intentional clarity.
AMA J Ethics. 2021;23(10):E766-771. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2021.766.