Two physicians offer commentary on the ethical issues that arise from medical students performing an invasive procedure on the newly dead as part of their medical training.
The morbidity and mortality conference serves an important educational role for physicians and underscores the importance of error disclosure in improving patient safety.
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.
When medical students are involved in patient care as part of their education and training, patients must be informed of their status and provide written or oral consent to be treated.
A first-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology is faced with legal and ethical issues when a patient who has been pregnant for 40 weeks requests induction of labor.
A new Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs policy explicitly forbids physicians-in-training from practicing life-saving interventions on newly deceased individuals without consent.
Adrienne W. Henize, JD and Andrew F. Beck, MD, MPH
Data on certain chronic conditions’ prevalence, incidence of potentially preventable morbidity, and health-harming legal factors influence approaches to care.
AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(8):E648-654. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2024.648.