Bioethicist Bruce Jennings examines the changing role of physicians in end-of-life care, from paternalistic decision maker to advisor-technician and half-way back.
Hospital medicine has developed into a recognized subspecialization area that will likely require board certification once the ethical issues surrounding clinical care within the hospital have been addressed.
The hospitalist model should be modified to ensure that inpatients receive continuity of care and that their expressed values regarding treatment are maintained once they are admitted.