Despite the possible conflict between evidence-based and cultural competence approaches to medical care, both embody the ideals of medical ethics.

In “Allocating Scare Resources in a Pandemic,” Martin Strosberg calls attention to the need for preparedness planning including methods for rationing vaccines, antiviral medications, and intensive care unit beds and staff.

Article explains the role of surveillance by public health epidemiologists in tracking and controlling infectious diseases in the US and around the world.

Despite the possible conflict between evidence-based and cultural competence approaches to medical care, both embody the ideals of medical ethics.

Demographic information about a specific subset of patients can help physicians recognize conditions they do not expect to find in the larger population.

Parents’ right to choose the culture of their children and a child’s right to an open future outweigh the right of the Deaf to perpetuate their culture by disallowing government funding of cochlear implant research to restore hearing.

Physicians should recognize that patients’ beliefs may cause them to have non-medical explanations for their illnesses and that shared explanations should be negotiated if treatment plans are to be successful.

Clinical case examines physicians’ duties and risks during an epidemic. Commentaries address physician’s rights vs patients’ rights. Does the duty to treat always override personal or family concerns?

Clinical case examines the ethics of using an experimental drug in treating a patient who is dying from a SARS-like virus.

Clinical case examines physicians’ duties and risks during an epidemic. Commentaries address physician’s rights vs patients’ rights. Does the duty to treat always override personal or family concerns?