Kelly Leonard, executive director of insights and applied improvisation at Second City Works, relates how improvisation can help clinicians build relationships with patients and improve their outcomes.
Nat Mulkey, MD, Carl G. Streed Jr, MD, MPH, and Barbara M. Chubak, MD
Some clinicians cite absence of long-term data to justify not fully deferring surgery for children with DSD, and legal restrictions of early procedures are also at play.
AMA J Ethics. 2021;23(7):E550-556. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2021.550.
Dr Nat Mulkey and Dr Carl G. Streed Jr join Ethics Talk to discuss their article coauthored with Dr Barbara M. Chubak, "A Call to Update Standard of Care for Children With Differences in Sex Development."
Physicians should be aware of the level of emotional distress and suffering that a patient is experiencing as a result of his or her illness and incorporate that into the patient's treatment plan.
Physicians should demonstrate compassion when the parent of an ill child asks the physician for his or her personal opinion regarding the parents' choice to continue experimental treatment when the prognosis is not good.
Physicians who treat children with Down's syndrome should ensure that their parents fully understand the children's capabilities and long-term prognosis and counsel them on the appropriate actions to take regarding their children's care.
Physicians need to manage expectations and clearly explain the prognosis of ICU patients to their families, particularly when the outcome is a negative one.