Autonomy in April
April is National Donate Life Month. The Presidential Proclamation reminds us all that this is a time during which, “we honor donors who provide others with a second chance for a healthy life” and we “demonstrate our commitment to one another in the most difficult of circumstances”. If you’re just discovering this blog, take some … Read more
5 Movie Picks with a Bioethics Theme
A few new movies have appeared in theaters recently that can be added to what is becoming a growing cannon of films that tackle the many facets and complexities surrounding bioethical issues. Tonight, I saw one of them. This inspired me to compose a list of recent films (plus a classic or two) that help us better understand the medical humanities and perhaps, ourselves as they depict individuals answering the very personal questions of patient autonomy, “What do I want to happen to me, to my body for the sake of my health or medical care?”
The Soloist
In this clip from the movie, Steve Lopez seeks to help his friend, Nathaniel Ayers without understanding Ayers values or definition of quality of life.
The Only Things Certain Are Death And Taxes
Absolutely no one likes to think about sustaining a life-threatening injury or catostrophic illness. Yet, as I wrote in an earlier post, trauma happens. There’s also, of course Benjamin Franklin’s wisdom, “Nothing in life is certain but death and taxes.” And such was the inspiration for Nathan Kottkamp, a health lawyer who founded National Health Care Decision Day two years ago. It will be observed this Thursday, April 16 (after tax day) and is intended to teach Americans the benefits of creating advance directives as well as encourage health care providers to recommend them to their patients. Communication among family members and between doctors and patients has to improve.
The Story of a Kidney
The television drama ER has been delivering excellent stories around death and dying as well as the misadventures of the walking wounded for fifteen years now. After a long break, I have returned to faithfully follow it’s final season and it has not disappointed. The plot and multiple story lines of ER are quite complex and unfold over weeks so serendipity was probably the cause for last night’s episode to deal with the topic of kidney disease and kidney transplants on World Kidney Day. As I discussed in Wednesday’s post, the purpose of World Kidney Day is to increase awareness. The aim is to prevent chronic kidney disease by encouraging people to make choices that support healthy kidneys and get appropriate screening test for kidney function when necessary.
HPV Vaccine: The Newest Tool in Fighting Cervical Cancer
First Fridays in First Person. In the following excerpt from a New YorkTimes article, Dr. Ben Daitz gives a personal account of treating patients with cervical cancer and the changing technologies available for prevention and earlier diagnosis…”Her face was ashen and her body cadaveric, and when I picked her up, she stared at me with hollow, dull eyes as her bones rubbed against my arms.”
Has the Time Come for Mandatory HIV/AIDS Testing
December began with the 20th annual observance of World AIDS Day. Both the NY Times and the Washington Post ran articles discussing the potential benefits of mandatory testing in curbing the incidence (new cases) and prevalence (all existing cases) of the disease. The Washington Post article focused on implementing such a policy in the United … Read more
