Bioethics
Scientists Call for a Moratorium on Creating Genome Edited Babies
15 Mar, 2019 | 02:10h | UTCAdopt a moratorium on heritable genome editing – Nature (free)
Editorial: Germline gene-editing research needs rules (free)
Commentaries: Leading scientists, backed by NIH, call for a global moratorium on creating ‘CRISPR babies’ – STAT (free) AND Expert reaction to a call for a moratorium on heritable genome editing – Science Media Centre (free)
Related: Genome-Edited Baby Provokes International Outcry (free commentaries) AND Consensus Statement on the Reported Birth of Genome-Edited Babies in China (free)
Italy Bans Unvaccinated Children From School
13 Mar, 2019 | 05:48h | UTCItaly bans unvaccinated children from school – BBC (free)
Perspective: Listening to Older Patients Who Want to Stop Dialysis
12 Mar, 2019 | 12:54h | UTCListening to Older Patients Who Want To Stop Dialysis – Kaiser Health News (free)
Related: Dialysis Is a Way of Life for Many Older Patients. Maybe It Shouldn’t Be (free) AND Prioritizing Patient and Caregiver Values in the Delivery of High-Quality Medical Management Without Dialysis (free) AND Care Practices for Patients with Advanced Kidney Disease Who Forgo Maintenance Dialysis (free)
Man Told He’s Going to Die by Doctor on Video-link Robot
11 Mar, 2019 | 03:50h | UTCMan told he’s going to die by doctor on video-link robot – BBC (free)
See also: California family furious after hospital uses video call to tell grandfather he’s dying – The Guardian (free) AND Doctor on Video Screen Told a Man He Was Near Death, Leaving Relatives Aghast – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Medical-Ethical Guidelines: Management of Dying and Death
8 Mar, 2019 | 02:59h | UTCMedical-ethical guidelines: Management of dying and death – Swiss Medical Weekly (free)
Among other topics, this comprehensive guideline discusses assisted suicide in patients not facing imminent death. Under the Swiss Criminal Code, assisting suicide is not an offense.
Opinion: “Let’s Help People Live Successfully to the End of Their Lives”
7 Mar, 2019 | 13:03h | UTCLet’s help people live successfully to the end of their lives – The BMJ (free)
“we do need to challenge the prevailing dogma of “prevention at all costs”—and create a broader vision of how to help people live successfully to the very end of their lives”
Opinion – ““Elderly”—an outdated and potentially harmful term”
5 Mar, 2019 | 03:07h | UTCJavad Hekmat-panah: “Elderly”—an outdated and potentially harmful term – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Systematic Review: Limitation of Life-Sustaining Care in the Critically Ill
26 Feb, 2019 | 02:25h | UTCLimitation of Life-Sustaining Care in the Critically Ill: A Systematic Review of the Literature – Journal of Hospital Medicine (free PDF for a limited period)
Related: Dying with Dignity in the Intensive Care Unit – New England Journal of Medicine (free) AND Palliative care in intensive care units: why, where, what, who, when, how – BMC Anesthesiology (free) AND Ten key points about ICU palliative care – Intensive Care Medicine (free) AND Guidelines for the withdrawal of life-sustaining measures – Intensive Care Medicine (free) AND End-of-life in the ICU: moving from ‘withdrawal of care’ to a palliative care, patient-centred approach – British Journal of Anaesthesia (free) AND New concepts in palliative care in the intensive care unit – Revista Brasileira de Terapia Intensiva (free) AND The Changing Role of Palliative Care in the ICU – Critical Care Medicine (free)
Embryo Editing for Higher IQ is a Fantasy. Embryo Profiling for it is Almost Here
16 Feb, 2019 | 19:56h | UTCEmbryo editing for higher IQ is a fantasy. Embryo profiling for it is almost here – STAT (free)
Worth reading. The most devastating critique of medicine since Medical Nemesis by Ivan Illich in 1975
15 Feb, 2019 | 00:43h | UTC
Perspective: “February 7th 2019 marked an auspicious day in the history of the NEJM and its relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.”
13 Feb, 2019 | 01:57h | UTCThe Case of the Scientific Ruse – EMNerd (free)
Editorial: Prioritizing Patient and Caregiver Values in the Delivery of High-Quality Medical Management Without Dialysis
13 Feb, 2019 | 00:39h | UTC
Cancer Cliches to Avoid: I’m Not ‘Brave’
7 Feb, 2019 | 00:56h | UTCCancer cliches to avoid: I’m not ‘brave’ – BBC (free)
Related: Why cancer is not a war, fight, or battle (free commentaries)
Study: Undisclosed Financial Ties Between Guideline Writers and Pharmaceutical Companies
7 Feb, 2019 | 00:41h | UTCCommentaries: Undisclosed financial relationships revealed between doctors and drug companies – The Guardian (free) AND 24% of clinical guideline authors may have undisclosed ties to drug industry – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND Influential doctors aren’t disclosing their drug company ties – Croakey (free)
Related: Study: Financial Conflicts of Interest Among Authors of Clinical Guidelines (link to abstract and commentaries) AND Authors of premier medical textbook didn’t disclose $11 million in industry payments (free commentary) AND Study: Financial Conflicts of Interest Among Authors of Urology Guidelines (link to abstract) AND Perspective: Hidden Conflicts? (free) AND Study: Association of Compensation to Physicians From Industry and Self-declared Conflict of Interest (link to abstract and commentaries) AND Study: Financial Conflicts of Interest Among Oncologist Authors of Reports of Clinical Drug Trials (link to abstract and commentaries) AND “What These Medical Journals Don’t Reveal: Top Doctors’ Ties to Industry” (free commentary) AND Study: Assessment of Pharmaceutical Company and Device Manufacturer Payments to Gastroenterologists and Their Participation in Clinical Practice Guideline Panels (free)
NYT Editorial: Why You Should Be Careful About 23andMe’s Health Test
4 Feb, 2019 | 22:08h | UTCEditorial: Why You Should Be Careful About 23andMe’s Health Test – The New York Times (free)
AMA Journal of Ethics Special Issue: Artificial Intelligence in Health Care
4 Feb, 2019 | 22:02h | UTCArtificial Intelligence in Health Care – AMA Journal of Ethics (free articles)
Related Commentary on Twitter
How do you know when #AI is starting to affect #healthcare?
When the @AmerMedicalAssn publishes a whole issue, open-access on ethics, reimagining #meded, policy, validation, implementation, and morehttps://t.co/SwAsjsGclZ via @ivanoransky pic.twitter.com/7JzzFBUsv1— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 3, 2019
Perspective: When Is the Surgeon Too Old to Operate?
3 Feb, 2019 | 12:37h | UTCWhen Is the Surgeon Too Old to Operate? – The New York Times (free)
Related: Perspective: Assessing the Performance of Aging Surgeons (free for a limited period) AND Observational Study: Age and Sex of Surgeons and Mortality of Older Surgical Patients (free study and commentary) AND The Elderly and Driving: When Is It Time to Hit the Brakes? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/sloaneguy/status/1091666479525888001?s=03
“Why I Decided to Provide Assisted Dying: It is Truly Patient Centred Care”
3 Feb, 2019 | 11:48h | UTCEssay: Why I decided to provide assisted dying: it is truly patient centred care – The BMJ (free)
Opinion: A.I. Could Worsen Health Disparities
1 Feb, 2019 | 02:36h | UTCA.I. Could Worsen Health Disparities – The New York Times (free)
“In a health system riddled with inequity, we risk making dangerous biases automated and invisible.”
Perspective: The Robot Needs a Human Heart—Why AI in Medicine Brings Moral Choices Into Focus
28 Jan, 2019 | 23:59h | UTCThe robot needs a human heart—why AI in medicine brings moral choices into focus – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Viewpoint: The Rise of Pseudomedicine for Dementia and Brain Health
27 Jan, 2019 | 20:36h | UTCThe Rise of Pseudomedicine for Dementia and Brain Health – JAMA (free for a limited period)
The Herd to the Rescue: How an Invisible Shield Can Keep us Healthy
23 Jan, 2019 | 14:25h | UTCThe herd to the rescue: How an invisible shield can keep us healthy – STAT (free)
Related: Case Report: Fatal Measles Case Highlights Importance of Herd Immunity in Protecting the Vulnerable (free case report and commentary)
Study: Patient Organizations and Conflicts of Interest
22 Jan, 2019 | 00:28h | UTCEditorial: Patient organizations and conflict of interest (free)
Commentaries: Jeremy Taylor: Financial interests of patient organisations – The BMJ Opinion (free) AND Financial interests common in patient reps on NICE appraisal – OnMedica (free)
Related Opinion: Why Big Pharma Must Disclose Payments to Patient Groups (free)
Study: Marketing of Opioids Linked to More Overdose Deaths
20 Jan, 2019 | 16:58h | UTCEditorial: A Perspective Regarding the Current State of the Opioid Epidemic (free)
Author Interview: Marketing of Opioid Products and Mortality From Opioid-Related Overdoses; Comparison of Wait Times for New Patients Between the Private Sector and VA Medical Centers (free)
Commentaries: Study Links More Marketing Of Opioids To More Overdose Deaths – CommonHealth (free) AND Heavy marketing of opioid drugs linked to overdose deaths – UPI (free) AND Study Links Drug Maker Gifts for Doctors to More Overdose Deaths – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
American College of Physicians Ethics Manual: Seventh Edition
15 Jan, 2019 | 00:37h | UTCAmerican College of Physicians Ethics Manual: Seventh Edition – Annals of Internal Medicine (free)
News Release: American College of Physicians releases new edition of Ethics Manual (free)
“Genetic testing, telemedicine, end-of-life care, and human subjects research are among issues examined in new edition of ACP Ethics Manual” (from News Release)