Joel T. Wu, JD, MPH, MA and Jennifer B. McCormick, PhD, MPP
False health-related speech can cause harm, but it’s not restricted unless it’s obscene. Physicians are obliged not only to correct patients’ false beliefs, but to engage digital spaces in which false claims thrive.
AMA J Ethics. 2018; 20(11):E1052-1058. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.1052.
Carrie A. Bohnert, MPA, Aaron W. Calhoun, MD, and Olivia F. Mittel, MD, MS
Research and training are needed so that physicians are able to identify human trafficking victims and refer them to appropriate trauma-informed treatment.
AMA J Ethics. 2017; 19(1):35-42. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.1.ecas4-1701.
Some patients who need general medical care before a dental intervention can suffer increased risk for poor outcomes if they have compromised access to care.
AMA J Ethics. 2022; 24(1):E6-12. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2022.6.
Unchallenged supra-geographic segregation perpetuates racial medical mythology, exacerbates myopia in health professions practice and education, and perpetuates injustice.
AMA J Ethics. 2023; 25(1):E72-78. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.72.
Clinical needs of patients with disabilities are seen with the “medical gaze,” a depersonalized lens of evidence-based medicine and of presumed objectivity.
AMA J Ethics. 2023; 25(1):E85-87. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.85.
A gynecologic oncology ethics education program intended to engage students and foster open exchange was designed after review of ethics consults at a tertiary cancer center over a 15-year period.
AMA J Ethics. 2015; 17(9):834-838. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.9.medu1-1509.
Educators discussing ethically challenging topics with students should try to cultivate open mindedness while illuminating potential negative consequences that their health practice beliefs—such as refusing to provide abortion care—can have for patients, particularly those with limited options.
AMA J Ethics. 2018; 20(7):E637-642. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.637.
Principles of respect for autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence guide trauma-informed care. Care ethics should also support this framework for responding to the health needs of trafficked patients.
AMA J Ethics. 2017; 19(1):80-90. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.1.msoc2-1701.