AMA Journal of Ethics^®

AMA Journal of Ethics theme editor Subha Perni, MD, a recent graduate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, interviewed Elizabeth Epstein, PhD, RN, about strategies for understanding and address moral distress in clinical settings.

Authentic partnerships with people with dementia motivate full social participation and resist fatalism around experiences of illness.

Patients with dementia need social supports and opportunities and acceptance of their disability in order to feel hopeful despite their functional decline.

Viewing dementia as a distinct disease promotes funding for research but may stigmatize those who have dementia and lead to disinvestment in caregiving.

Expanding the numbers of physicians with disabilities would facilitate patient-centered care for those who need similar accommodations.

Medical school technical standards should be revised to be more inclusive of applicants with disabilities to diversify the physician workforce.

Research on experiences of practicing physicians who have disabilities could help medical schools counsel applicants and increase enrollment among students with disabilities. This can ultimately improve care for patients with disabilities.

Physicians must resist judging the quality of life of their patients with Down syndrome and learn to listen and see them as individual personalities.

To make good communication choices for their children who are deaf or hard of hearing, hearing parents must develop their understanding of hearing loss.

Designation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a medically underserved population would not solve problems of access to care.