A patient's request or demand for treatment does not obligate a physician to provide the treatment if the physician thinks it will cause more harm than good.
When a patient requests an unfamiliar treatment, the physician should not hesitate to research it before giving a categorical reply about its safety or efficacy.
While proponents of direct-to-consumer drug advertising tout them as vehicles for patient empowerment, critics point to their influence on unsound prescribing and the medicalization of human experience.
Naomi T. Laventhal, MD, MA, John D.E. Barks, MD, and Scott Y.H. Kim, MD, PhD
When considering off-label therapies in neonatal and pediatric patients, review available information about potential risks and benefits, carefully balance parental autonomy and the child's best interest, seek informed consent, and consider whether there is an opportunity to systematically evaluate the therapy.
Jessie Kimbrough-Sugick, MD, MPH, Jessica Holzer, MA, and Eric B. Bass, MD, MPH
Researchers who approach community partners with an agenda already in hand are missing the point of the community-based participatory research enterprise: developing priorities for study together.
Nontherapeutic infant male circumcision is not medically or ethically justifiable and should be deferred until the person is able to decide for himself.
AMA J Ethics. 2017;19(8):815-824. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.8.msoc2-1708.
This poster on a screening method for symptoms and their relation to population health won honorable mention in the 2017 Conley Art of Medicine Contest.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(2):197-198. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.2.imhl2-1802.
Kevin Z. Chao, MD, Daniel J. Riskin, MD, MBA, and Thomas M. Krummel, MD
Stanford’s Biodesign Program brings together students and postgraduates in medicine, engineering, law, and business to embark on a 1- to 2-year fellowship in medical device innovation.
The guidelines for patients’ eligibility for bariatric surgery have not changed since 1991, although recent data suggest there may be indications for broadening application of the surgery.