Advance directives, substituted judgment, and the best-interest standard all have limitations that constrain their usefulness in making medical decisions for patients who cannot choose for themselves.
Paula Tironi, JD, LLM and Monique M. Karaganis, MD
While parents often have legal authority to make decisions regarding pediatric palliative care, federal and state statutory and case laws, like CAPTA, impose significant restrictions on that authority.
Advance directives do not always resolve questions about the best care for patients who no longer have decision-making capacity; physicians and patient surrogates can take alternative approaches to arrive at the best care decision.
Sterling Johnson joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Kimberly L. Sue: "Drawing on Black and Queer Communities’ Harm Reduction Histories to Improve Overdose Prevention Strategies and Policies.”
Dr Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Drs Catherine J. Livingston and Ricky N. Bluthenthal: “How Should Harm Reduction Be Included in Care Continua for Patients With Opioid Use Disorder?”
Dr Ellen L. Edens joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Drs Gabriela Garcia Vassallo and Robert Heimer: "How Should the Use of Opioids Be Regulated to Motivate Better Clinical Practice?”
Dr Donald Egan joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Drs Adriane M. dela Cruz, Sarah E. Baker, and John Z. Sadler: “When Are ‘Paraphernalia’ Critical Medical Supplies?”
Dr Jim Withers and Dave Lettrich join Ethics talk to discuss how street outreach programs help mitigate harms of drug use among people experiencing homelessness.