Journal of medical ethics
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Journal of medical ethics · Oct 2008
Do faculty and resident physicians discuss their medical errors?
Discussions about medical errors facilitate professional learning for physicians and may provide emotional support after an error, but little is known about physicians' attitudes and practices regarding error discussions with colleagues. ⋯ Most generalist physicians in teaching hospitals report that they usually discuss their errors with colleagues, and more than half have tried to role-model discussions. However, a significant number of these physicians report that they do not usually discuss their errors and some do not know colleagues who would be supportive listeners.
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Journal of medical ethics · Oct 2008
Failure to report and provide commentary on research ethics board approval and informed consent in medical journals.
The Declaration of Helsinki prohibits the publication of articles that do not meet defined ethical standards for reporting of research ethics board (REB) approval and informed consent. Despite this prohibition and a call to highlight the deficiency for the reader, articles with potential ethical shortcomings continue to be published. ⋯ Articles that lack explicit statements of REB approval and informed consent are infrequent but continue to be published in major medical journals without editorial statements to alert the reader to this deficiency.
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Journal of medical ethics · Oct 2008
I don't like that, it's tricking people too much...: acute informed consent to participation in a trial of thrombolysis for stroke.
Informed consent is regarded as a contract between autonomous and equal parties and requires the elements of information disclosure, understanding, voluntariness and consent. The validity of informed consent for critically ill patients has been questioned. Little is known about how these patients experience the process of consent. ⋯ The results indicate that the principle of informed consent from critically ill patients cannot be seen as a contract between equal and autonomous parties. Further studies are needed to explore critically ill patients' experiences with the process of informed consent.
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Journal of medical ethics · Oct 2008
Theological reflections on donation after circulatory death: the wisdom of Paul Ramsey and Moshe Feinstein.
Due to the worldwide shortage of organs for transplantation, there has been an increased use of organs obtained after circulatory death alone. A protocol for this procedure has recently been approved by a major transplant consortium. ⋯ Two renowned theologians of the previous generation, Paul Ramsey and Moshe Feinstein, wrote extensively on the ethical issues relating to transplantation, and their work has much relevance to current moral dilemmas. Their writings relating to definition of death, organ transplantation and the care of the terminally ill are briefly presented, and their potential application to the moral problem of organ donation after circulatory death is discussed.