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Biomedical subjects

G R Scofield

Publications and source records attributed to G R Scofield.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The problem of the impaired clinical ethicist.

Because clinical ethicists wield considerable power and influence in matters affecting institutions, clinicians, and patients, they should be accountable to those who employ them, rely on them, or are affected by their judgment. At a minimum, clinical ethicists have a duty not to be impaired, and the doctrine of corporate liability obliges institutions to ensure that neither they nor their patients are exposed to the risks the impaired clinical ethicist creates. Although their roles are still evolving and professional standards have yet to be established, a close look at what clinical ethicists do and what they say they do suggests the forms impairment may take and what the health community might do about it.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1991

Privacy (or liberty) and assisted suicide.

There is renewed professional and popular interest in the questions surrounding the legality of assisted suicide. With the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Cruzan case, the legal questions will be determined by state courts and legislatures. This article examines the arguments underlying the claim for legalization of assisted suicide. Although it appears to come within the confines of privacy, assisted suicide constitutes a more radical change in the law than its proponents suggest. Assisted suicide in the context of its own complexities and other problems facing society, represents a dubious advance in patient rights or social justice.

Beneficence↗
PubMed1991

Artificial feeding: the least restrictive alternative?

Of all the reasons that justify a decision to withhold or withdraw a feeding tube, the most basic is that it is not needed in order to nourish the patient adequately and safely. The controversy that surrounds feeding tubes decisions in the so-called right-to-die context has distracted attention from this aspect of their use. This creates the risk that they will be initiated inappropriately, without adequate evaluation or consent. By re-incorporating the concepts of medical indication and the least restrictive alternative doctrine into the consent process, as new federal regulations require, physicians can restore balance to clinical judgment and deter improper practices. In order for these concepts to make a real difference to patients and physicians, society must improve the quality of care it provides the elderly.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Is consent useful when resuscitation isn't?

A Do Not Resuscitate order reflects a considered judgment that a physician can no longer stave off death. Why, then, have a patient consent to such an order? The primary point is that physicians should share with patients their judgment about what medicine can and cannot do. Because we cannot make death go away, we must make decisions about when to withhold or limit resuscitation openly, in honest and trusting conversation between doctor and patient.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dred Scott revisited.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Human Rights↗