All articles tagged with #health and ethics
The article discusses the ethical considerations of intervening in a loved one's hoarding situation, emphasizing that a wellness check may not be effective and suggesting less disruptive approaches like involving adult protective services or medical professionals. It highlights the importance of respecting the individual's autonomy while prioritizing safety through support and harm reduction strategies.
A study on pandemic triage decisions during COVID-19 reveals that despite ethical guidelines advocating for impartiality, both the public and professionals often prioritize patients based on characteristics such as age, health status, ethical behavior, family roles, and societal contributions, demonstrating explicit discrimination. While there is minimal evidence of covert discrimination through the strategic use of random allocation, the study underscores the complexity of moral reasoning in triage situations and the gap between ethical guidelines and intuitive biases guiding laypeople's decisions in scenarios of medical resource scarcity.
Lynda Bluestein, a terminally ill woman from Connecticut, utilized Vermont's law allowing terminally ill individuals to end their lives with prescribed medication, passing away peacefully as she wished. Vermont, which settled a lawsuit allowing Bluestein access to its law despite her non-residency, has since removed residency requirements for such cases, a change Bluestein advocated for. The law has strict safeguards to ensure patients' informed and voluntary decisions, though it faces moral opposition. Bluestein's choice reflects her desire for agency over her life and death, consistent with her lifelong activism for patient choice.
Lynda Bluestein, a 76-year-old Connecticut woman with terminal cancer, will become one of the first non-residents to use Vermont's medical aid in dying law after a settlement allowed her access. Vermont recently removed its residency requirement for medically assisted death, following a similar decision by Oregon. Bluestein's choice reflects her desire for a dignified end to her life, echoing a sentiment shared by a majority of Americans who support the right to physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.
The article explores the controversial concept of palliative psychiatry for patients with chronic anorexia nervosa who have not responded to traditional treatments. It follows the story of Naomi, a 42-year-old woman who, after decades of unsuccessful treatments for her anorexia, is considering a palliative approach that would allow her to stop active treatment. This raises ethical questions about patient autonomy and the role of doctors in treating chronic mental illness. Some experts argue for respecting a mentally competent patient's decision to cease treatment, while others worry about the implications of allowing a patient to potentially succumb to their mental illness. The debate highlights the tension between hope and realism in psychiatric care and the need for compassionate approaches to complex cases.