People in vulnerable positions who need support in their daily lives often face challenges in receiving timely access to care; for instance, due to disabilities or individual and situational ...

Doctors have an ethical and legal duty to respect patient confidentiality. We consider the basis for this duty, looking particularly at the meaning and value of autonomy in health care. Enabling ...

Vesicovaginal fistula was a catastrophic complication of childbirth among 19th century American women. The first consistently successful operation for this condition was developed by Dr J Marion Sims, ...

In English law there is a strong (though rebuttable) presumption that life should be maintained. This article contends that this presumption means that it is always unlawful to withdraw ...

Correspondence to Professor John McMillan, Bioethics Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, Otago, New Zealand; john.r.mcmillan68{at}gmail.com One set of worries concerns authorship and whether it ...

Background Surrogates frequently are unable to predict which treatment their charges would want and also can experience significant distress as a result of making treatment decisions. A new method, ...

1 Department of Pediatrics, The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA 2 Department of Medical Humanities and The Bioethics Center, The Brody School of ...

1 Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, University of San Diego, California, USA 2 University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles ...

Medicine is not merely a job that requires technical expertise, but a profession concerned with making the best decisions and recommendations with reference to, and in consultation with, the patient.

Background This research explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways doctors make end-of-life decisions, particularly around Do Not Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR), ...

“Lay epidemiology” is a term used to describe the processes through which health risks are understood and interpreted by laypeople. It is seen as a barrier to public health when the public disbelieves ...