AMA Journal of Ethics theme editor Emily Johnson, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, interviewed Susan Mizner, JD, about some merits, drawbacks, and alternatives to guardianship.

Dr Andrew P. Smith joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Hasah Alheneidi: “The Internet and Loneliness.”

Dr Ariane Lewis discusses how we can navigate uncertainty and ambiguity about brain death by understanding clinical criteria for brain death determination and how our approaches to death are culturally and socially situated.

Dr Vish Viswanath talks about countering COVID-19 health misinformation spread over the internet and social media.

Dr Vish Viswanath talks about the digital spread of health misinformation and falsehoods during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Which distinctions between minimally conscious states and vegetative states should clinicians consider?

The diagnostic and clinical criteria for diagnosing persistent vegetative state.

Elder self-neglect can be assessed with the Elder Self-Neglect Assessment (ESNA) and addressed by physicians’ partnering with patients to achieve common goals.

A guardian’s request to sterilize a woman with intellectual disabilities is not ethically justifiable unless the woman assents and it is to her benefit.

The risks of misinformation being spread through online patient forums can be mitigated by communication strategies aimed at physicians and organizations.