When patients are unable to express their wishes and do not have surrogates or advance directives, which and whose values should inform decision making for them? We discuss ethical complexities of caring for unrepresented patients.

Scott Schweikart joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article: “AMA Code of Medical Ethics’ Opinions Related to Clinicians in Government.”

In the September 2014 issue on physicians as agents of social change, Dr. Audiey Kao, editor-in-chief of Virtual Mentor interviewed Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development or USAID.

AMA Journal of Ethics theme editor Karel-Bart Celie, a second-year medical student at Columbia University School of Medicine, interviewed Joseph J. Fins, MD, about the work of ethics committees and consultants as they pursue professionalization and respond to changes in health care organization and practice.

Dr Olivia Kates talks about appropriate use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medically futile/inappropriate treatments and rationing have distinct ethical justifications and applications and require separate policies.

The adverse health effects of climate change should be the focus of physician advocacy efforts and of conversations between physicians and their patients.

How to resolve conflicts between hospital policy and the treatment recommendations for an individual patient.

How to resolve conflicts between hospital policy and the treatment recommendations for an individual patient.

Strategies for improving health care ethics consultation should appeal to key stakeholders in hospitals and not just the academic bioethics community.