AMA Journal of Ethics^®

Dr Katherin M. Duthie joins Ethics Talk to discuss her article, coauthored with Dr Kathryn A. Dong: “How Should Risks and Benefits of Short-Acting Opioids Be Evaluated in the Care of Inpatients With OUD?”

Severe withdrawal, risk of patient-initiated discharge, and some inpatients’ uses of substances prompt questions considered in this commentary.

Drs Lynne Fehrenbacher and Leah Leonard-Kandarapally join Ethics Talk to discuss key roles of infectious disease pharmacists in antimicrobial stewardship.

Merits of more antimicrobial prescription oversight should be weighed against risks to patients and communities of untreatable bacterial infections.

This article discusses fiduciary obligations transplant programs might have to patients with B cenocepacia.

Dr Brendan D. Kelly joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Dr Róisín Plunkett: “Should Dignity Preservation Be a Precondition for Safety and a Design Priority for Healing in Inpatient Psychiatry Spaces?”

Paternalistic language in patients’ health records is of specific ethical concern because it emphasizes clinicians’ power and patients’ vulnerabilities and can be demeaning and traumatizing.

Dr Peter Steen joins Ethics Talk to discuss his article, coauthored with Drs Nubia Chong, Maria Mirabela Bodic, Ludwing Salamanca, and Stephanie LeMelle: “What Should Students and Trainees Learn About Patient-Centered Documentation?”

Inpatient psychiatric units are designed around the twin aims of treatment and containment, but emotional norms and tone also contribute to care environments.

Therapeutic security in inpatient psychiatric settings requires careful planning and implementation if it is to support both patients’ safety and dignity.