Family-centered care is recommended for patients of all ages now, based on evidence that it can lead to compliance, improved communication, and better care planning. Hospitals where PFCC has been integrated report greater satisfaction among patients and staff.
AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(1):40-44. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.1.medu3-1601.
Michael Toppe, DMSc, PA-C and Lushiku Nkombua, MD, MMed
American physician assistant students trained in South Africa to study an example of a reverse innovation practice that could be incorporated in the US.
AMA J Ethics. 2023;25(5):E332-337. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2023.332.
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.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(7):E670-674. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.670.
Although poor communication is the root cause of medical malpractice claims, in cases of medical error, apologies reduce litigation and benefit patients.
AMA J Ethics. 2017;19(3):289-295. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.3.hlaw1-1703.
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.
This month, AMA Journal of Ethics theme editor Margaret Cocks, MD, PhD, a third-year resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, interviewed Theonia Boyd, MD, about ethical issues pathologists face when conducting autopsies and obtaining specimens.