Devan Stahl, PhD, MDiv and Christian J. Vercler, MD, MA
Social and cultural influences significantly contribute to our conceptions of healthy and pathological anatomy, and surgeons play critical roles in how these influences are expressed in clinical settings and social media.
AMA J Ethics. 2018; 20(4):384-391. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.4.msoc4-1804.
Although physicians do not have legitimate authority over patients, professional associations may have such authority over physicians, even nonmembers.
AMA J Ethics. 2017; 19(2):207-213. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.2.sect1-1702.
Pharmacologic interventions might help physicians overcome cognitive deficits resulting from loss of sleep while on call or help them retain more details about the patients under their care.
An emerging medical ethics issue is whether to delay posting pathology reports to electronic health records (EHR) to allow clinicians time to follow up.
AMA J Ethics. 2016; 18(8):826-832. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.8.pfor1-1608.
Physician behavior that generates a patient complaint and ultimately leads to disciplinary action is both legally and ethically problematic—violating both regulatory rules and professional codes.
AMA J Ethics. 2015; 17(5):448-455. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.5.pfor1-1505.
Volk v DeMeerleer may conflict with professional guidelines regarding physicians’ obligations to breach patient confidentiality to protect third parties.
AMA J Ethics. 2018; 20(1):10-18. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.1.peer2-1801.