Denialism

Category: Medical Ethics

  • Rating your doctor online – is this a good idea?

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    MarkH
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    I have just finished taking my last major exam of medical school – Step 2 of the boards (including Step 2 Clinical Skills, or CS, which costs 1200 bucks, requires you to travel to one of a few cities in the country hosting it, and is sealed by a EULA that forbids me from talking…

  • Look, Ma, I’m on TV!

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    MarkH
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    Ok, really, it’s bloggingheads.tv. Dr. Free Ride from Adventures in Ethics and Science invited me for a chat about ethics, which you can view, well, right now. Next time, I’ll remember to keep the camera a bit further away.

  • Does alternative medicine have alternative ethics?

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    MarkH
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    We’ve talked quite a bit about ethics in this space, especially medical ethics and “blog ethics”. Today, though, we will specifically examine the nature of medical ethics as they apply to so-called alternative medicine. First, and perhaps most important, I am not an ethicist. I do not have the depth of reading, the knowledge of…

  • How drunk is too drunk—another foray into medical ethics

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    MarkH
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    The best ethical questions are real ones. Sure, it’s fun to play the lifeboat game, but when you’re dealing with flesh and blood human beings on a daily basis, games aren’t all that helpful. So here’s a non-life-and-death question: if a patient comes to see you and smells of alcohol, can you add an alcohol…

  • Do physicians really believe in placebos?

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    MarkH
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    This article is cross-posted at Science-Based Medicine. Check it out. –PalMD In a previous post, I argued that placebo is an artifact of certain clinical interactions, rather than a treatment that we can exploit. Apparently, there are a whole lot of doctors out there who don’t agree with me. Or are there? A recent study…

  • Hmm…ethics…

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    MarkH
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    Ok, I pulled my post while considering ethical issues, viz this conversation: Dianne, PAL: I’m out of my depth here, so could you address what the ethical boundaries are for describing a case (even without personal identification) on an open board? I’ve always dealt with that one by Just Don’t — and I know it’s…

  • Why be in such a hurry (to kill someone)?

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    MarkH
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    Once again, I find myself straying into a political issue (although I’d argue that it’s more a human rights issue). I understand that I’m probably in the minority in this country in my opposition to the death penalty. My fellow Americans generally vote to allow it, and my vote only counts once. One area where…

  • I’ve been (not) workin’ on the railroad

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    MarkH
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    This story is disturbing for a host of reasons, but there’s a medical ethics issue hiding in here. Apparently, if you work for the Long Island Railroad, you can retire at 50, then claim disability for a job you no longer have, and collect both a disability check and a pension. I shit you not.…

  • A very confused pharmacist

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    MarkH
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    I’ve written often about the ethics of doctors and pharmacists imposing their own morals on their patients and customers. Our Sb pharmacologist has as well. And even though all of our legitimate professional organizations recognize this line, Bush’s Department of Health and Human Services has jumped into the ring to join a fight that should…

  • Doctors aren’t preachers (or at least they shouldn’t be)

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    MarkH
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    I’ve written a number of times about how a physician must be careful not impose his or her personal beliefs on patients. Another interesting case has hit the news. The decision of the California Supreme Court hinged on interpretation of state non-discrimination law. I’m not a lawyer, but I do know a bit about medicine…