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.
Humpday Humor
By executive order, the ban against federal funding for stem cell research has been removed. What are the implications for biomedical research in America?
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.
Doctors Appreciate the Active & Informed Patient
In the NYTimes.com article, In Search of a Good Doctor, Pauline Chen, MD surveys several fellow doctors to provide health care consumers and patients with guidance on selecting physicians but more importantly navigating health information available on the internet. She states: And according to several of the doctors I spoke with, the amount of information … Read more
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
