Ethics

No Easy Solution for Lack of Transparency in the Practice of Medicine

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | December 1, 2012

Several well-publicized episodes highlight the apparent lack of disclosure of conflicts of interest in medicine, but will disclosure laws fix the problem or add to the confusion?

Ethical Concerns Influence What Constitutes Clear and Full Disclosure for Physicians

Bernard Rubin, DO, MPH | December 1, 2012

Money received from industry by physicians who can influence medical practice by their research, opinions, or roles in decision-making bodies should be clearly and fully disclosed

Ethics in Patients’ End-of-Life Care Compound Therapeutic Challenges for Rheumatologists

C. Ronald MacKenzie, MD | December 1, 2012

While end-of-life decisions are not frequently encountered in day-to-day practice, rheumatologists should be familiar with the ethical challenges that may arise when caring for patients in the ICU

Ethics Forum: The Ethical Side of End-of-Life Decisions

C. Ronald MacKenzie, MD | September 5, 2012

The role of the consulting physicians in the ICU, the concept of medical futility, and the management of complex patients when the goals of care may be changing.

Patient Access to Medical Records: How Much Is Too Much?

Thomas R. Collins | August 8, 2012

The easy access to medical records stemming from technological advances has given rise to questions about the medical benefits to such easy access, questions now being explored by researchers in the U.S. and Europe.

Letter: True Purpose of Medical Records

Philip L. Cohen, MD | July 9, 2012

As in science, medicine depends on honest and accurate observation, and not on confabulation of findings.

Letter: What We Learn from Family History

Richard S. Panush, MD | July 9, 2012

Dan Wallace’s reminiscence in “Three Giants of Immunology at USC” is fascinating and instructive.

Rheumatology Researchers Should Learn from their Lab Animals, Not Imitate Them

Bruce N. Cronstein, MD | May 9, 2012

Rheumatologists, as a group, tend to be detail oriented, critical thinkers with strong opinions, and these same characteristics make them extremely rigorous as grant reviewers.

Ethics Forum: The Ethical Pitfalls of Clinical Trials

Robert H. Shmerling, MD | April 6, 2012

Your patient is deciding whether to enroll in a clinical trial at your institution and wants your advice about whether to participate.

Ethics Forum: Letters from Our Readers—Accepting Gifts

Ines Colmegna, MD | April 6, 2012

We received a few letters in response to the December 2011 Ethics Forum, which asked the question: What is your personal policy about accepting gifts?