Decisions for patients who are unrepresented and incarcerated could be made by different classes of possible decision makers “inside” and “outside.”

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.

When errors happen, too often clinicians are at odds with each other about how to respond to a patient or a patient’s loved ones after that patient suffers harm.

Alternatives to suing could help open communication between injured patients and clinicians.

Although poor communication is the root cause of medical malpractice claims, in cases of medical error, apologies reduce litigation and benefit patients.

What’s the evidence base for future standards of care for trafficked patients?

Principles of respect for autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence guide trauma-informed care. Care ethics should also support this framework for responding to the health needs of trafficked patients.

Groupthink is an ethical problem because unconscious bias or the status quo may prevent appropriate medical response to trafficking victims and survivors.

AMA Journal of Ethics theme editor Terri Davis, a third-year MD student at West Virginia University School of Medicine, interviewed Ranit Mishori, MD, about how to respond to incidents of suspected human trafficking in health care settings.