Pain and addiction specialists discuss the rise in workplace violence related to opioid denials and how to improve communication and change patient expectations.
Patients trust that what they tell their doctors will remain confidential, but under certain specific circumstances, the doctors may be obligated to breach that trust.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored how easy it is for disreputable and non-authoritative sources to spread wrong and possibly dangerous medical information.
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology believe there is “no better time to review and take a fresh perspective on medical ethics and professionalism in the light of established norms and current stressors.”
For many health care professionals, successfully managing uncertainty means recognizing that surety is complicated and illusory and knowledge is iterative and provisional rather than definitive.
The American College of Physicians statement outlines how the “status quo” created health inequalities and prevented the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and outlines steps on how to move forward.
From an ethical perspective, disclosing adverse events to patients is predicated on the idea that physicians have obligations to tell the truth, but physicians may worry that apologizing will incur greater responsibility for liability.