Sweet Little Lies: Is it Ever Ok to Lie to Our Patients?
November 2, 2016
Truth telling is an ethical pillar of medicine. But, are there instances when it is ever ok to lie to…
Round-up of physician aid in dying news in California
September 2, 2016
By: Laura Petrillo, @lpetrillz The End of Life Option Act has been in effect in California for almost three months. …
Can physicians initiate conversations about aid in dying? Should they?
June 9, 2016
By Laura Petrillo, MD, @lpetrillz As of today, it is legal for seriously ill patients in California to request lethal…
Physician as Healer or Harmer? The Ethical Context of Aid in Dying
December 14, 2015
by: Elizabeth Dzeng, @LizDzeng As ethicists like to point out, what is the law is not always ethical and what is…
Moral distress among residents: the hidden price of futility
October 20, 2015
by: Alex Smith, @AlexSmithMD Have you ever had that experience when you think what you’re doing is futile, and that…
What should we call the physician-assisted act of intentionally killing oneself near the end of life
June 4, 2015
By: Eric Widera (@ewidera) It was a big day in California today. The California Senate passed SB 128 which would…
Advance care planning cold calls, crowdfunding palliative care, and pocket card decision aids
November 3, 2014
Advance Care Planning · Dementia · Ethics · Geriatrics · Hepatitis · Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) · Mental Health
by: Alex Smith @AlexSmithMD Every once and a while, a new innovation comes along that makes you go, “Wow!” or,…
A Call for Maternalism in Medicine
October 10, 2014
by: Laura Petrillo @lpetrillz After a recent family meeting, I received a piece of feedback from a social worker that…
What books inspired you to go into #geriatrics or #palliative care?
August 12, 2014
by: Alex Smith @AlexSmithMD I just read a wonderful categorization of books about aging on Lousie Aronson’s blog. She categorizes…
Informed consent in social media research
July 4, 2014
I’m simultaneously a behavioral researcher, an ethicist, and a hopeless Facebook addict, so I’ve been thinking a lot about last…