Health policy
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The responsibility of healthcare administrators for handling ethically sensitive medical practices, such as medical end-of-life decisions (MELDs), within an institutional setting has been receiving more attention. The overall aim of this paper is to thoroughly examine the prevalence, content, communication, and implementation of written institutional ethics policies on MELDs by means of a literature review. ⋯ With regard to providing support for physicians and nurses, DNR and euthanasia policies expressed support by primarily providing technical and procedural guidelines. Further research is needed whether and in which way written institutional ethics policies on MELDs could contribute to better end-of-life care.
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The European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 19 November 1996 and opened for signature in Oviedo, Spain, on 4 April 1997. As of the moment of writing 11 Member States of the EU have ratified the Convention: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. ⋯ We analysed for each ratifying Member State whether and how the ratification of the Convention has influenced patient rights legislation and policies. Finally, we concluded by dividing the 11 Member States into 4 categories depending upon the already existing patient rights legislation at the moment of ratification and the constitutional provisions related to the ratification of an international treaty in general in a given Member State.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of the impact of U.S. and Canadian cigarette pack warning label requirements on tobacco industry profitability and the public health.
Since the early 1980s, neo-liberals have argued that command and control regulation (such as modern tobacco control programs) are costly in supporting corporate markets and profits. Some recent social constructionists have also argued that weak and symbolic command and control policies are necessary to maintain corporate productivity. This paper examines whether the command and control-oriented United States cigarette warning label law is symbolic thus helping to maintain corporate profitability. ⋯ Contrary to the arguments of neo-liberals, symbolic command and control policies can actually support corporate private profit making, which for the tobacco industry occurs at the expense of the public health.