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Should a suicidal patient with Huntington's disease be hospitalized against her will? Attitudes among future physicians and lawyers and discussion of ethical issues.

The issue of rational suicide of a competent patient suffering from a hopeless but not terminal disease is controversial. Little is known about how psychiatrists, other physicians or judges make decisions about involuntary hospitalization of such patients, or about their ethical reasoning. The objective of this study was to identify future physicians' and lawyers' views on involuntary hospitalization of a suicidal Huntington's disease (HD) patient and to evaluate whether they are ethically defendable. Five-hundred and ninety-nine law students and advanced medical students reported whether they agree or not to involuntary hospitalize a suicidal HD patient (audio/video recording). No significant differences were found between medical and law students. Forty-four percent of students agreed to hospitalization, 49.3% disagreed. The comments indicate that medical and law students had pessimistic views about the quality of life of an HD patient. Medical students referred more often than law students to patients' autonomy rights and less often to benefits to relatives. Involuntary hospitalization of a suicidal but not terminal HD patient is controversial among future physicians and lawyers. Students underestimated the need for careful evaluation. More open discussion and more ethical teaching on the subject of acceptance of rational suicide for hopelessly, but not yet terminally ill patients are needed.

Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders↗

You have the right not to have a hearing: an evaluation of the impact of fully advising civilly committed patients on their rights.

There have long been calls for the reduction of coercion in treating civilly committed psychiatric patients. The present study assessed whether a minor procedural change intended to reduce the adversarial nature of the treatment process would have a positive impact. Results suggested that the change in procedure had a positive effect for the most direct outcome variables but results were more mixed for the indirect outcome variables. Nonetheless, overall indications were that the change of procedure affected patient outcome.

Adult↗

Impact of informed consent requirements on cardiac arrest research in the United States: exception from consent or from research?

INTRODUCTION: Research in patients with life-threatening illness such as cardiac arrest is challenging since they can not consent. The Food and Drug Administration addressed research under emergency conditions by publishing new criteria for exception from informed consent in 1996. We systematically reviewed randomized trials over a 10-year period to assess the impact of these regulations. METHODS: Case-control study of published trials for cardiac arrest (cases) and atrial fibrillation (controls.) Studies were identified by using structured searches of MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1992 to 2002. Included were studies using random allocation in humans with cardiac arrest or atrial fibrillation prior to enrollment. Excluded were duplicate publications. Number of American trials, foreign trials and proportion of trials of American origin were compared by using regression analysis. Changes in cardiac arrest versus atrial fibrillation trials were calculated as risk differences. RESULTS: Of 4982 identified cardiac arrest studies, 57 (1.1%) were randomized trials. The number of American cardiac arrest trials decreased by 15% (95% CI: 8, 22%) annually (P = 0.05). The proportion of cardiac arrest trials of American origin decreased by 16% (95% CI: 10, 22%) annually (P = 0.006). Of 5596 identified atrial fibrillation studies, 197 trials (3.5%) were randomized trials. The risk difference between cardiac arrest versus atrial fibrillation trials being of American origin decreased significantly (annual difference -5.8% (95% CI: -10, -0.1%), P = 0.03). INTERPRETATION: Fewer American cardiac arrest trials were published during the last decade, when federal consent requirements changed. Regulatory requirements for clinical trials may inhibit improvements in care and threaten public health.

Atrial Fibrillation↗

Waiver of informed consent: a survey of emergency medicine patients.

Changes to Federal regulations pertaining to waiver of informed consent for acute care research were debated by the research and regulatory communities for more than 2 years before being finalized in October of 1996. Input from the general public was limited. This survey investigated the opinions of emergency medicine patients concerning waiver of informed consent for acute care research. A convenience sample of 212 patients were approached at a tertiary care academic urban emergency department. Seventy-three percent approved of waiver of informed consent if the absolute risks were minimal (50% if the absolute risks were greater than minimal but the incremental risks were minimal). Educational status and certain aspects of the patient's current health status (but not age, race, or gender) significantly affected the results. While most emergency medicine patients would want to be enrolled in a study if they had a serious illness and were unable to give informed consent, a significant percentage of patients would not want to be enrolled regardless of the degree of risk or availability of a family member to speak on their behalf. Waiver of informed consent for emergency research is an ethical dilemma pitting individual rights against societal needs and physician parentalism. A better understanding of what patients consider appropriate may help in resolving this dilemma.

Acute Disease↗