Physicians have a duty to learn the facts and use their medical expertise to allay patients' fears rather than order unnecessary tests when a certain disease or condition receives a great deal of media coverage.
A hypothetical clinical case discusses patient demand for advanced diagnostics such as MRIs when physicians do not recommend such tests. Better patient education is the suggested approach.
Mark T. Hughes, MD, MA and Bimal H. Ashar, MD, MBA
Physicians are urged to evaluate an asymptomatic patient's request for CT screening and use the opportunity to educate the patient and determine the course of action that is in the patient's best interest.
Presymptomatic genetic testing for neurodegenerative diseases can help patients make effective treatment decisions, but the medical profession needs to ensure that the increasing use of the tests is done responsibly.
Dr Aysha Akhtar joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Mikalah Singer, “With What Should We Replace Nonhuman Animals in Biomedical Research Protocols?”
Erin Sharoni joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article: “Which Concepts Are Key to Transitioning From Nonhuman Animal Models to Engineered Microphysiological Systems in Biomedical Research?”
Dr David DeGrazia joins Ethics Talk to discuss why the “3 R’s” of nonhuman animal research might not be sufficient to promote good science, ethics, and nonhuman animal welfare.