Scott Schweikart joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article: “AMA Code of Medical Ethics’ Opinions Related to Clinicians in Government.”

In the September 2014 issue on physicians as agents of social change, Dr. Audiey Kao, editor-in-chief of Virtual Mentor interviewed Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development or USAID.

In clinical settings, chaplains are key communicators who help mediate between patients, families, and the medical team. This month on Ethics Talk, we explore how chaplains help patients and families articulate their goals and navigate logistical and emotional challenges that arise in the hospital.

The adverse health effects of climate change should be the focus of physician advocacy efforts and of conversations between physicians and their patients.

Legal inconsistencies and variation in end-of-life options generate disparities in care for unrepresented patients.

Chaplains can mediate between physicians and families by clarifying religious issues for physicians, who can then present treatment options informed by a patient’s priorities. Ideally, family and religious values and a physician’s judgment should work together to inform decision making.

Physicians need to become more involved in the public debate regarding issues of medicine, science, and evolution.

Physicians should take part in public health advocacy to improve health care for all patients.

A passage from the Talmud can spark varied reflections among medical students.

False health information can harm, so hosts and writers of website content, clinicians, and patients are all responsible for jointly appraising the quality of online content and preventing the spread of misinformation.