http://www.bioethics.net/rss/bioethicsnews.xml bioethics news everyday from bioethics.net/American Journal of Bioethics Copyright 2005 bioethics.net Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:12:13 EST http://www.bioethics.net/ http://www.bioethics.net/images/logo_frontpage_wht.gif 60 200 webmaster@bioethics.net newsupdate@bioethics.net en-us http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7306 Even though she lived for less than two hours, Baby Miracle Gianna lived long enough to shine a stark light on practices inside a local Catholic hospital that have pro-life citizens up in arms. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:12:13 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7305 Medical fraud kills people. Because it does this slowly and indirectly, we tend not to notice it, and our response is more often the clucking of tongues than the moral outrage that usually accompanies mass murder. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:23:06 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7304 In the desperate days soon after the earthquake in Haiti last month, foreign medical volunteers relied on improvised, low-tech devices for consultations and coordination. But American doctors are switching to more sophisticated technology to help improve public health in Haiti, one of the world’s poorest nations. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:44:38 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7303 What should a primary-care physician do when a patient turns up with a friend or family member in tow: someone who's clearly taking some kind of responsibility for that patient's care? Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:40:22 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7302 A Tianjin couple's decision to stop medical treatment for their newborn baby, who suffers life-threatening birth defects, has triggered a huge controversy. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:38:33 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7301 Current medical practice is enormously expensive, often without clear long-term benefits. A few examples: *End-of-life care at New York University averaged $105,000 per patient in the last two years of life, without evident improvement in mortality rates. Costs at other centers were nearly as high, also without evident benefits. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:37:28 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7300 Survival is the first order of business when you face a diagnosis of cancer but failure to talk business upfront with your doctor could end up being your biggest setback down the road. Don't wait for your oncologist to bring up the topic of money, a new study suggests. Discussing treatment costs with health providers and budgeting for payment as soon as possible is the best way to soften a secondary blow for survivors who often still suffer the financial consequences years later. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:47:52 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7299 The top court in President Obama's home state just struck down a law that capped malpractice awards against doctors and hospitals. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:44:46 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7298 In a case that could have far-reaching implications for medical research and health care based on genetics, groups representing thousands of doctors, scientists and patients went to court Tuesday to argue that no one should be able to patent human genes, a question that has long been controversial in scientific circles. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:43:07 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7297 Physicians in training and bioethicists at Johns Hopkins have created an easy-to-remember checklist to help medical students and clinicians quickly assess a patient’s decision-making capacity in an emergency. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:41:40 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7296 In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, four of 23 patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state showed signs of consciousness on brain-imaging tests. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:53:32 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7295 On the big day, Kathleen (Kay) Carter chose to wear the blue floral scarf that was given to her by her sister. On Thursday, Jan. 14, Kay dictated a note to family and friends telling them: "I have chosen to die with dignity, tomorrow." Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:21:42 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7294 lthough several rackets have been busted in Tamil Nadu and many reports, including in some leading medical journals like The Lancet, have indicated that there have been sale of organs, no doctor or hospital has ever been proved guilty. The licences of at least 15 hospitals have been withdrawn and suspension notices issued by the directorate of medical services, particularly after the state health department unearthed a kidney trade where the survivors of the December 2004 tsunami were donors. The Kovai Medical Centre and Research Institute, which has been issued suspension this time, was among them. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:06:30 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7293 In the rarefied world of fashion magazines, beauty editors have often relied on a coterie of prominent dermatologists and plastic surgeons to keep them current on advances in cosmetic medicine. This symbiotic relationship has benefited magazines eager for beauty scoops and doctors seeking visibility — and patients. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:42:38 EST http://www.bioethics.net/News/?id=7292 Over these last seven months, I have received many letters, e-mails and texts from people who identify themselves as physicians and whose messages suggest that the AMA doesn't do anything for them. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:39:35 EST