Ethics

Research Ethics Review Process Inconsistent Across Countries

Guidelines on research ethics review vary significantly between countries, according to study data published in Health Research Policy and Systems.

How to Avoid Racial Bias in Artificial Intelligence

As excitement grows around AI and the benefits it could have in healthcare, concerns remain about the technology’s pitfalls.

Hospitals Suing Over Unpaid Medical Bills Hurts Our Patients

We make a promise to do good by our patients, but what does it mean to do harm? Should we include socioeconomic harm in this discussion?

Updating Disclosures for Authors of Medical Journals

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors is taking steps to identifying potential conflicts of interest through changes to a key form.

Medical Assistance in Dying: A Case Study on Conscientious Objection and Moral Distress

In the context of medical assistance in dying (MAiD), a framework allowing clinicians to communicate their ethical concerns may have benefits for both patients and providers.

Navigating Patient Pain Under Stricter Opioid Prescribing Laws

Investigators explored concerns with regard to opioid prescribing in compliance with new regulations in a commentary piece.

Drug Price-Fixing Charge Laid Against ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli

So-called “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli faces charges of price fixing of a drug used to treat the potentially fatal condition toxoplasmosis.

Ethical Concerns Plague Online, Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Companies

Online direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical companies can give rise to distinct ethical challenges including potential conflicts of interest for prescribing physicians.

Online Information About Probiotics Often Unreliable

Probiotics information available online is often from commercial sources, and most webpages do not refer to scientific literature.

Soaring Drug Prices, Delays in Care and the Underground Market for Diabetes Supplies

From the qualitative analysis, researchers concluded that there is an unmet need for diabetes supplies, likely as a result of inequities present in the healthcare industry.

Patient Share of Out-of-Network Costs Rising

The out-of-pocket costs for out-of-network (OON) care grew rapidly for privately insured Americans from 2012 to 2017.

Significant Rates of Mistreatment, Burnout, and Suicidal Thoughts Observed Among Surgical Residents in the US

Cross-sectional study data published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that discrimination, abuse, and harassment are highly prevalent in surgical residency training, especially in female residents.

People Who Are Homeless Have Worse Cardiovascular-Related In-Hospital Outcomes, Lower Intervention Rates

People who are homeless are less likely to receive appropriate interventions for cardiovascular conditions compared with individuals who are not homeless, which may indicate significant barriers to care in patients who are homeless.

Black, Latinx Patients Less Likely to Receive Specialty Cardiology Service When Admitted for Heart Failure

Black and Latinx patients are less likely to receive specialty cardiology services during admission for heart failure (HF) compared with white patients, a study in Circulation: Heart Failure suggests.

Low Adherence to Suicide Reporting Guidelines Observed Across 10 Major US Publications

A Research Letter published in JAMA Network Open discussed newspaper adherence to media reporting guidelines following the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain by suicide.

Maintaining Research Integrity at Academic Institutions

“Research misconduct represents clear and present dangers to academic institutions and their faculty, residents, students, and staff,” declared the authors of a review published in the American Journal of Medicine.1 The review, authored by thought leaders from Florida Atlantic University and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, discussed the consequences of…

Will Term Limits Fix Academic Medicine’s Diversity Problem?

The National Institutes of Health has announced a plan to enforce 12-year term limits for tenured laboratory and branch chiefs; however, such a limit has yet to be enacted in academic medicine. Authors of an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine argue that lack of term limits on leadership positions at academic…

Testing Manufactured Organs on the Recently Deceased Raises Ethical Concerns

Despite increasing numbers of organ donations and optimized organ recovery, the current supply is not sufficient to meet current and future organ needs.

Is it Ethical to Charge for Prenatal Screening?

Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is becoming common around the world. Requiring only a blood draw at 9 to 11 weeks of gestation, NIPT tests for chromosomal abnormalities such as trisomies 21, 18, and 13. In some countries, the simple and safe test is part of routine care or offered through publicly funded programs. In other…

What Clinical Trials Can Teach Public Health Programs About Risk

The framework for risk-benefit evaluations used in research can shed light on ways of balancing potential social benefits and individual risks that are missing from existing ethical frameworks for public health.