Medical Ethics Research This is an OPML file. It can be used to export all the MedWorm RSS feeds on this topic into your personal RSS reader (usually you have to save this file to your own computer before clicking on an Import OPML command in your own feed reader to upload the file which will then import all the feeds) or it can be used by webmasters to integrate MedWorm feeds with their own website. This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 25.

A disability response to surrogate decision making in the internet age.
PMID: 22974030 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Burke TB Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

The self, social media, and social construction.
PMID: 22974031 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Stark M, Fins JJ Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Authenticating an online identity.
PMID: 22974032 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Matthews S Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Claims about surrogate decision-making accuracy require empirical evidence.
PMID: 22974033 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Feltz A, Abt T Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Facebook can improve surrogate decision making.
PMID: 22974034 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Pope TM Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Social media as a contributor to substituted judgment: the hazards outweigh the value.
PMID: 22974035 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Sadovnikoff N, Jurchak M Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Are we prepared for surrogate decision making in the internet age?
PMID: 22974036 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Moore JA, Gallagher CM Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Status update: the complexities of the internet age bring urgency for deliberately making advance health care decision wishes known.
PMID: 22974037 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Siess S, Moyer A Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Considerations in surrogate decision making in the internet age.
PMID: 22974038 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Tsai NT Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Review of robert klitzman, am I my genes? Confronting fate and family secrets in the age of genetic testing (1).
PMID: 22974039 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Suter SM Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Review of marion danis, emily largent, david wendler, sara chandros hull, seema shah, joseph millum, benjamin berkman, and christine grady, research ethics consultation: a casebook(1).
PMID: 22974040 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Anderson EE Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Corrigenda.
Authors: PMID: 22974041 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Response to open peer commentaries on "surrogate decision making in the internet age".
PMID: 22974042 [PubMed - in process]
Source: The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Berg J Tags: Am J Bioeth Source Type: research

Parental informed consent in pediatric cancer trials: A population‐based survey in Germany
ConclusionsOur results identified weak points and vulnerable subgroups in the parental consent process in pediatric oncology in Germany. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Source: Pediatric Blood and Cancer - September 26, 2012 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Imme Petersen, Claudia Spix, Peter Kaatsch, Norbert Graf, Gritta Janka, Regine Kollek Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

New survey reveals San Jose businesses' political priorities
With the November elections just around the corner, a new survey of San Jose small businesses sheds some light on what local companies most value in the presidential contest: the economy, government ethics and controlling gas prices. Not surprisingly, the economy and jobs were the top concern for 32 percent of the dozen local businesses included in the nationwide survey of more than 6,000 businesses by Thumbtack.com. Also included was a question about current costs of doing business: “San Jose…
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines - September 26, 2012 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Lauren Hepler Source Type: research

Organ transplantation and meaning of life: the quest for self fulfilment
Abstract Today, the frequency and the rate of success resulting from advances in medicine have made organ transplantations an everyday occurrence. Still, organ transplantations and donations modify the subjective experience of human beings as regards the image they have of themselves, of body, of life and of death. If the concern of the quality of life and the survival of the patients is a completely human phenomenon, the fact remains that the possibility of organ transplantation and its justification depend a great deal on the culture in which we live. The exploration of the philosophical tradition allows f...
Source: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Tags: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy Source Type: research

Is the Plastic in Boxed-Wine Liners BPA-Free?
Dear EarthTalk : I am a retailer and have had customers ask whether the plastic bags in wine boxes are BPA free or not. What can I tell them? --Chris Tod, via e-mail [More]
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - September 26, 2012 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,Society Policy,Everyday Science,Ethics,Energy Sustainability,Green Living,Health,More Science Source Type: research

100 Million to Die by 2030 If World Fails to Act on Climate
By Nina ChestneyLONDON (Reuters) - More than 100 million people will die and global economic growth will be cut by 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 if the world fails to tackle climate change, a report commissioned by 20 governments said on Wednesday.As global average temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, the effects on the planet, such as melting ice caps, extreme weather, drought and rising sea levels, will threaten populations and livelihoods, said the report conducted by humanitarian organization DARA.It calculated that five million deaths occur each year from air pollution, hunger and d...
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - September 26, 2012 Category: Science Tags: Energy & Sustainability,Health,Technology,Society Policy,Energy Technology,Evolution,Climate,Ethics,Environment,Everyday Science Source Type: research

I Don’t Want to Be the One Saying ‘We Should Just Let Him Die’: Intrapersonal Tensions Experienced by Surrogate Decision Makers in the ICU
CONCLUSIONS Surrogates’ struggle to reconcile personal and family emotional needs with their loved ones’ wishes, and utilize common coping strategies to combat intrapersonal tensions. These data suggest reasons surrogates may struggle to follow a strict substituted judgment standard. They also suggest ways clinicians may improve decision making, including attending to surrogates’ emotions, facilitating family decision making, and eliciting potential emotional conflicts and spiritual needs. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ResearchPages 1-9DOI 10.1007/s11606-012-2129-yAuthors Yael...
Source: Journal of General Internal Medicine - September 26, 2012 Category: Internal Medicine Tags: Journal of General Internal Medicine Source Type: research

Police referrals to a psychiatric hospital: Experiences of nurses caring for police‐referred admissions
This study utilized a Heideggerian phenomenological framework to explore the experiences of nine nurses caring for patients referred by the police, through semistructured interviews. Two major themes emerged from the hermeneutic analyses of interviews conducted with nurse participants: (i) ‘expecting “the worst” ’; and (ii) ‘balancing therapeutic care and forced treatment’. Expecting ‘the worst’ related to the perceptions nurse participants had about patients referred by the police. This included two sub‐themes: (i) ‘we are here to care for whoever they bring in’; and (ii) ‘but who deserves care?�...
Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - September 26, 2012 Category: Nursing Authors: Reshin Maharaj, Louise O'Brien, Donna Gillies, Sharon Andrew Tags: Feature Article Source Type: research

The attitude and knowledge of intensive care physicians and nurses regarding organ donation in Hungary - It needs to be changed.
Conclusions: Education, including knowledge concerning brain death, donor management and communication with family, needs to be part of the specialist training of intensive care professionals, with a refresher course every fifth year. PMID: 23018261 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Annals of Transplantation - September 26, 2012 Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Smudla A, Mihály S, Okrös I, Hegedűs K, Fazakas J Tags: Ann Transplant Source Type: research

Viability Assessment for Artificial Gametes: The Need for Biomarkers of Functional Competency.
Abstract Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has resulted in more than 3 million births worldwide. However, mainstream ART techniques are not always successful for an estimated ~30% of infertile patients where gametes are non-viable. Most patients would clearly prefer genetic parenthood, currently only possible via the use of donated gametes, or in future, via the clinical use of artificial gametes (AGs) incorporating parental DNA. Despite much progress in the derivation of AGs over recent years, significant obstacles still remain. Although it is possible to create artificial cells exhibiting some of the molecul...
Source: Biology of Reproduction - September 26, 2012 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Kashir J, Jones C, Child T, Williams SA, Coward K Tags: Biol Reprod Source Type: research

Characteristics of physicians receiving large payments from pharmaceutical companies and the accuracy of their disclosures in publications: an observational study
Conclusions: With increased public reporting of industry payments to physicians, it is apparent that large sums are being paid for services such as consulting and peer education. In over two-thirds of publications where COI disclosures were provided, the disclosures by physician authors did not include industry payments that were documented in the Dollars for Docs database.
Source: BMC Medical Ethics - September 26, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Susan NorrisHaley HolmerLauren OgdenBrittany BurdaRongwei Fu Source Type: research

The treating psychiatrist as expert in the courts: is it necessary or possible to separate the roles of physician and expert?
ConclusionsOn current evidence, either separation or combination of clinical and expert roles in a particular case may be acceptable. Insofar as there are national legal or professional guidelines on this issue, anyone practising in that country must follow them and may safely do so, regardless of practice in their native country. The most important ethical issue lies in clarity for all parties on the nature and extent of roles in the case. This paper has additional material online. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Source: Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health - September 26, 2012 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Pamela J. Taylor, Marc Graf, Hans Schanda, Birgit Völlm Tags: Special Issue Article Source Type: research

Selling forensic psychiatry: Recruiting for the future, establishing services
ConclusionSelling forensic psychiatry to public and professionals is difficult but essential to counter anti‐forensic psychiatry movements that have emerged. The discipline needs to persuade others of its unique skills and embrace good science, compassion, public duty and ethical practice. It needs to treat with politicians and funders as well as the medical, psychological and legal professions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Source: Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health - September 26, 2012 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Kris Goethals, John Gunn, Alfredo Calcedo‐Barba Tags: Special Issue Article Source Type: research

Republished: Glaucoma: a systemic condition?
Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is an optic neuropathy associated with the loss of retinal ganglion cells. The pathophysiology of the disease is incompletely understood. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most important risk factor for the disease, although many individuals with elevated IOP never develop glaucoma, and glaucomatous damage can occur despite IOP levels in the normal range. Several large-scale trials have proved that the progression of visual field loss can be retarded by reducing IOP. POAG is, however, also related to systemic disease. Reduced ocular perfusion pressure has been identified as a ri...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - September 26, 2012 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Schmetterer, L. Tags: Journalology, Immunology (including allergy), Hypertension, Ophthalmology, Epidemiology, Ethics Republished editorial Source Type: research

A pilot randomized controlled trial of the feasibility of a self-directed coping skills intervention for couples facing prostate cancer: Rationale and design
This study will examine the feasibility of a self-directed, coping skills intervention for couples affected by cancer, called Coping-Together, and begin to explore its potential impact on couples' illness adjustment. The pilot version of Coping-Together includes a series of four booklets, a DVD, and a relaxation audio CD. Methods: In this double-blind, two-group, parallel, randomized controlled trial, 70 couples will be recruited within 4 months of a prostate cancer diagnosis through urology private practices and randomized to: 1) Coping-Together or 2) a minimal ethical care condition. Minimal ethical care condition couple...
Source: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes - September 26, 2012 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Sylvie LambertAfaf GirgisJane TurnerPatrick McElduffKaren KayserPaula Vallentine Source Type: research

Body work in assisted conception: exploring public and private settings
Abstract Body work has been foregrounded in recent sociological writings on health and social care, particularly the emotional labour of patient care. In this article I explore the social and emotional dimensions of body work in assisted conception in private and public National Health Service (NHS) clinics. Drawing on an ethnographic study, I explore how tensions around bodily attributes, treatment costs, clinic performance and the extent of consumer sovereignty were managed in decisions about who to treat and in what manner. In NHS settings, body work involved efforts to standardise and constrain bodies in line with an e...
Source: Sociology of Health and Illness - September 26, 2012 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Anne Kerr Source Type: research

Coeliac disease and C virus-related chronic hepatitis: a non association
Conclusions: 1) coeliac disease is not associated with HCV infection; 2) PEG interferon-alpha does not trigger celiac disease.
Source: BMC Research Notes - September 26, 2012 Category: Research Authors: Antonietta GravinaAlessandro FedericoMario MasaroneAntonio CuomoConcetta TuccilloCarmelina LoguercioMarcello PersicoMarco Romano Source Type: research

Regions, concepts and integrations
Content Type Journal ArticleCategory EditorialPages 1-2DOI 10.1007/s11019-012-9438-0Authors Henk ten Have, Pittsburgh, PA, USABert Gordijn, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Journal Medicine, Health Care and PhilosophyOnline ISSN 1572-8633Print ISSN 1386-7423
Source: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Tags: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy Source Type: research

[Medical ethics as professional ethics].
Abstract Contemporary medical ethics is far from the traditional concept of "In-Sul (, benevolent art)" or "Yul-Li (倫, ethics), which emphasizes so much the personality or the character of a doctor. Nowadays, medical ethics should be considered as "professional ethics" which regulates the acts and medical practices of ordinary doctors in their daily practice. The key concepts of the professional ethics are "autonomy", "integrity", and "professional standard" established by medical organizations such as medical societies or associations. Most of Korean doctors have not been familiar with the concept of professiona...
Source: Korean J Gastroenter... - September 25, 2012 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Kwon I Tags: Korean J Gastroenterol Source Type: research

Perinatal characteristics among early (10--14 years old) and late (15--19 years old) pregnant adolescents
Conclusions: Early aged adolescents may have an increased risk of prematurity and low birth weight. These findings highlight the potential role of biological factors in newborn outcomes in pregnant adolescents.
Source: BMC Research Notes - September 25, 2012 Category: Research Authors: Joao AlvesRosangela CisneirosLuciana DutraRenato Pinto Source Type: research

Prospective Evaluation of Doppler Sonography to Detect the Twinkling Artifact Versus Unenhanced Computed Tomography for Identifying Urinary Tract Calculi
Conclusions— The twinkling artifact has a high PPV for detecting renal and urinary tract calculi. Evaluation for the twinkling artifact is a complementary technique to standard gray-scale shadowing of calculi and improves detection of urolithiasis on sonography.
Source: Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine - September 25, 2012 Category: Radiology Authors: Kielar, A. Z., Shabana, W., Vakili, M., Rubin, J. Tags: Original Research Source Type: research

A qualitative study using traditional community assemblies to investigate community perspectives on informed consent and research participation in western Kenya
Conclusions: Our study suggests that international biomedical research must account for community understandings of research and informed consent, particularly when involving children. Moreover, traditional community forums, such as mabaraza in East Africa, can be used effectively to gather these data and may serve as a forum to further engage communities in community consent and other aspects of research.
Source: BMC Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Rachel VreemanEunice KamaaraAllan KamandaDavid AyukuWinstone NyandikoLukoye AtwoliSamuel AyayaPeter GisoreMichael ScanlonPaula Braitstein Source Type: research

Informed consent for record linkage: a systematic review
Conclusion The results of this review show that, in general, individuals tend to consent to the use of their data for record linkage, with exceptions in specific populations or minorities. The authors believe that this, as well as the cited literature, lends support to policies that, while keeping relevant ethical controls in place, do not require individual informed consent for each and every study that relies on secondary data.
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: da Silva, M. E. M., Coeli, C. M., Ventura, M., Palacios, M., Magnanini, M. M. F., Camargo, T. M. C. R., Camargo, K. R. Tags: Screening (epidemiology), Informed consent, Legal and forensic medicine, Human rights, Screening (public health) Brief report Source Type: research

Whose ethics of knowledge? Taking the next step in evaluating knowledge in synthetic biology: a response to Douglas and Savulescu
The recent proposal by Douglas and Savulescu for an ethics of knowledge provokes a renewed consideration of an enduring issue. Yet, the concept raises significant challenges for procedural and substantive justice. Indeed, the operationalisation of ‘an ethics of knowledge’ could be as alarming as what it seeks to prevent. While we can acknowledge that there is, and surely always will be, potential for misuse of beneficial science and technology, a contemplated conception of what we ought to not know, devise or disseminate sets before us an enormously complex task. This essay challenges an ethics of knowledge to ...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Pierce, R. L. Tags: Response Source Type: research

Training healthcare professionals as moral case deliberation facilitators: evaluation of a Dutch training programme
Until recently, moral case deliberation (MCD) sessions have mostly been facilitated by external experts, mainly professional ethicists. We have developed a train the facilitator programme for healthcare professionals aimed at providing them with the competences needed for being an MCD facilitator. In this paper, we present the first results of a study in which we evaluated the programme. We used a mixed methods design. One hundred and twenty trained healthcare professionals and five trainers from 16 training groups working in different healthcare organisations throughout the Netherlands were included. After completion of t...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Plantinga, M., Molewijk, B., de Bree, M., Moraal, M., Verkerk, M., Widdershoven, G. A. M. Tags: Teaching and learning ethics Source Type: research

Individual risk and community benefit in international research
It is widely agreed that medical researchers who conduct studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are morally required to ensure that their research benefits the broader host community, not only the subjects. The justification for this moral requirement has not been adequately examined. Most attempts to justify this requirement focus on researchers' interaction with the community as a whole, not on their relationship with their subjects. This paper argues that in some cases, research must benefit the broader host community for researchers to treat subjects and prospective subjects ethically. If research presents...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Hughes, R. C. Tags: Research ethics Source Type: research

A randomised controlled trial to compare opt-in and opt-out parental consent for childhood vaccine safety surveillance using data linkage
Conclusions The opt-in approach resulted in low participation and a biased sample that would render any subsequent data linkage unfeasible, while the opt-out approach achieved high participation and a representative sample. The waiver of consent afforded under current privacy regulations for data linkage studies meeting all appropriate criteria should be granted by ethics committees, and supported by data custodians. Trial registration number Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000332022.
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Berry, J. G., Ryan, P., Gold, M. S., Braunack-Mayer, A. J., Duszynski, K. M., for the Vaccine Assessment Using Linked Data (VALiD) Working Group Tags: Clinical trials (epidemiology), Informed consent, Research and publication ethics, Legal and forensic medicine Research ethics Source Type: research

Ethical considerations for choosing between possible models for using NIPD for aneuploidy detection
Recent scientific advances mean the widespread introduction of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) for chromosomal aneuploidies may be close at hand, raising the question of how NIPD should be introduced as part of antenatal care pathways for pregnant women. In this paper, the authors examine the ethical implications of three hypothetical models for using NIPD for aneuploidy in state-funded healthcare systems and assess which model is ethically preferable. In comparing the models, the authors consider their respective timings; how each model would fit with current screening and diagnostic tests offered to pregnant women...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Deans, Z., Newson, A. J. Tags: Clinical diagnostic tests, Screening (epidemiology), Screening (public health) Reproductive ethics Source Type: research

Dementia, sexuality and consent in residential aged care facilities
Sexual self-determination is considered a fundamental human right by most of us living in Western societies. While we must abide by laws regarding consent and coercion, in general we expect to be able to engage in sexual behaviour whenever, and with whomever, we choose. For older people with dementia living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), however, the issue becomes more complex. Staff often struggle to balance residents' rights with their duty of care, and negative attitudes towards older people's sexuality can lead to residents' sexual expression being overlooked, ignored, or even discouraged. In particular, ...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Tarzia, L., Fetherstonhaugh, D., Bauer, M. Tags: Press releases, Psychology and medicine, Human rights Public health ethics Source Type: research

Neuroenhancers, addiction and research ethics
In their recent paper in this journal, Heinz and colleagues accuse proponents of cognitive enhancement of making two unjustified assumptions. The first of these is the assumption that neuroenhancing drugs will be safe; the second is that research into cognitive enhancement does not pose particular ethical problems. Heinz and colleagues argue that both these assumptions are false. Here, I argue that these assumptions are in fact correct, and that Heinz and colleagues themselves make several assumptions that undermine their argument. Neuroenhancement does raise several ethical concerns, but safety and research in this area p...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Shaw, D. M. Tags: Research and publication ethics, Health education Neuroethics Source Type: research

Is there no alternative? Conscientious objection by medical students
Recent survey data gathered from British medical students reveal widespread acceptance of conscientious objection in medicine, despite the existence of strict policies in the UK that discourage conscientious refusals by students to aspects of their medical training. This disconnect demonstrates a pressing need to thoughtfully examine policies that allow conscience objections by medical students; as it so happens, the USA is one country that has examples of such policies. After presenting some background on promulgated US conscience protections and reflecting on their significance for conscience objections by medical studen...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Card, R. F. Tags: Undergraduate, Education, medical Law, ethics and medicine Source Type: research

Implementing structured, multiprofessional medical ethical decision-making in a neonatal intensive care unit
Conclusion Professionals involved in ethical case deliberation perceived that the process of decision-making had improved; they were more positive about the structure of meetings, their own role and, to some extent, the content of ethical deliberation. Documentation of decisions/conclusions requires further improvement.
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: de Boer, J., van Blijderveen, G., van Dijk, G., Duivenvoorden, H. J., Williams, M. Tags: Child health Clinical ethics Source Type: research

Licenced to transplant: UK overkill on EU Organ Directive provides golden opportunity for research
Progress in transplantation outcomes depends on continuing research into both donor and recipient factors that may enhance graft and patient survival. A system of licencing for transplantation research, introduced by the Human Tissue Act 2004, which separates it from the transplantation process (then exempt from licencing), has damaged this vital activity by a combination of inflexible interpretation of the 2004 Act and fear of criminal liability on the part of researchers. Now, following the European Union (EU) Directive (2010) on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation, new UK Regulat...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Cronin, A. J., Douglas, J., Sacks, S. Tags: Artificial and donated transplantation Current controversy Source Type: research

Prescription requirements: a reply to Taylor, Martin and Eyal
I greatly appreciate the insightful commentaries of Adrienne Martin, James Stacey Taylor and Nir Eyal.1–3 Here I will try to clarify a few points in response. My goal is to show that prescription requirements entail a degree of paternalism that is inconsistent with the value of medical autonomy. The commentators are right to suggest that I further clarify how I understand the value of autonomy. I agree with Martin that the most compelling justification for the value of autonomy comes from Kantian ethics. There are two kinds of Kantians—those who argue that we should (at least to some extent) promote people's au...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Flanigan, J. Tags: Commentaries Source Type: research

Reconciling informed consent with prescription drug requirements
According to Jessica Flanigan,1 ‘physicians and pharmacists must be legally required to allow universal access to whatever treatments they provide. Citizens have rights of self-medication for the same reasons that they have rights of informed consent.’ In particular, health outcome promotion, welfare promotion and respect for patient autonomy, ‘the most widely cited’ reasons for the doctrine of informed consent (DIC), equally support a libertarian drug access policy. Moreover, they support it regardless of the impact on the patient's future welfare or autonomy or the externalities for others. Outsid...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Eyal, N. Tags: Commentaries Source Type: research

Commentary on 'Three arguments against prescription requirements'
Flanigan argues that the same arguments for a right to informed consent equally support a right to self-medicate,i and that prescription requirements violate the latter right. She proposes that, in order to respect the right to self-medicate, almost all prescription-grade drugs should be available over-the-counter (OTC) or behind-the-counter (BTC).1 On her proposal, consumers would be encouraged to consult with a physician or pharmacist but could waive the right to be informed about the potential benefits and risks of the drugs they purchase. There are two places a person uncomfortable with the full sweep of this proposal ...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Martin, A. Tags: Commentaries Source Type: research

The value of autonomy and the right to self-medication
In ‘Three Arguments Against Prescription Requirements’, Jessica Flanigan argues that ‘prescription drug laws violate patients' rights to self-medication’ and that patients ‘have rights to self-medication for the same reasons they have rights to refuse medical treatment according to the doctrine of informed consent (DIC), claiming that the strongest of these reasons is grounded on the value of autonomy. However, close examination of the moral value of autonomy shows that rather than being the strongest justification for the DIC, respect for the value of autonomy is actually the weakest, and it ...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Taylor, J. S. Tags: Commentaries Source Type: research

Three arguments against prescription requirements
In this essay, I argue that prescription drug laws violate patients' rights to self-medication. Patients have rights to self-medication for the same reasons they have rights to refuse medical treatment according to the doctrine of informed consent (DIC). Since we should accept the DIC, we ought to reject paternalistic prohibitions of prescription drugs and respect the right of self-medication. In section 1, I frame the puzzle of self-medication; why don't the same considerations that tell in favour of informed consent also justify a right of self-medication? In section 2, I show that the prescription drug system was histor...
Source: Journal of Medical Ethics - September 25, 2012 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Flanigan, J. Tags: Editor's choice, Informed consent, Legal and forensic medicine Feature article Source Type: research