The practice of banking sperm from adolescents about to undergo chemotherapy is not universal, which lends support to the argument that parental consent be required for the intervention.

A medical student describes and comments on a case in which a patient who experienced complications following a cardiac catheterization wished to remain in the hospital until the injury to his groin was entirely healed.

Adaptive, simulation-based Internet training sites with intelligent agents can offer medical students a virtual clinic for learning about the process and multiple outcomes of patient decision making.

A medical student describes and comments on a case in which a patient who experienced complications following a cardiac catheterization wished to remain in the hospital until the injury to his groin was entirely healed.

Physicians have an ethical responsibility to be functionally literate in health statistics and able to explain information such as a test’s positive predictive value to their patients.

Physicians must ask themselves ethical questions before recommending participation in phase I trials to patients.

Making best use of information patients bring to the clinical encounter from the internet.

Putting the interest of patients first means attending to what the patient thinks is most important as well as treating medically significant symptoms and conditions.

Physicians must ask themselves ethical questions before recommending participation in phase I trials to patients.

Should physicians engage beliefs and practices that do not agree with their medical judgment as a means to securing patient adherence to recommended treatment?