Approaches to informed consent for hypothesis-testing and hypothesis-generating clinical genomics research. (17/26)

 (+info)

Ethical and legal issues on HIV testing, policy and the practice of dentistry. (18/26)

This paper is structured around the following: autonomy and consent, confidentiality, disclosure, knowledge of patient and provider HIV status, the right to choose whom to treat, testing for HIV and the importance of HIV policies in the workplace to guard against discrimination. The emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic has challenged traditional ethical values of the health care profession. These include the infectious nature of HIV, the social stigma of the disease and its ethical and legal dilemmas. This paper addresses some of the pertinent questions related to HIV infection and AIDS. The three broad principles of ethics, namely, autonomy, beneficence and justice, provide the basic framework on which this paper is based. Advances in the biotechnology of rapid oral fluid testing particularly in the detection of HIV antibodies from patients in the dental setting have raised additional ethical and legal considerations in the subsequent management of HIV infected patients to include disclosure of test results to the patient and proper referral to physicians or nurse practitioners. The oral health care worker must thus have a solid foundation in the application of bioethical principles. A clinical case scenario related to HIV testing in the dental setting is presented to illustrate how a lack of understanding and the wrongful application of ethical principles may lead to patient harm and legal liability. Given the increasing infection rate of HIV worldwide, polices must be upheld and revised as needed to protect healthcare providers, patients, and society generally against discrimination.  (+info)

The social and gender context of HIV disclosure in sub-Saharan Africa: a review of policies and practices. (19/26)

 (+info)

Firearms law raises issue of MDs' duty to predict and report potentially violent patients. (20/26)

The possibility that an amendment to new firearms legislation would require physicians to report potentially violent patients raises the controversial issues of physicians' legal duty to warn and the ability of physicians and other health care professionals to predict violent behaviour. For these reasons, it will be necessary to follow carefully any proposed amendments to the legislation.  (+info)

Confidentiality and the law. (21/26)

Codes of medical ethics issued by professional organizations typically contain statements affirming the importance of confidentiality between patients and health-care practitioners. Seldom, however, is the confidentiality obligation depicted as absolute. Instead, exceptions are noted, the most common of which is that health-care professionals are justified in breaching the confidence of a patient if required by law to do so. Reasons that might be given to support this exception are critically discussed in this paper. The conclusion argued for is that this is not a legitimate exception to the confidentiality rule.  (+info)

The prevalence of drivers in acute geriatric wards. (22/26)

An audit of 150 patients on five acute geriatric wards found that 28 (19%) still drove. Forty-three (28%) used to drive but had given up, whilst 79 (53%) (76 of whom were female) had never driven. Former drivers gave the main reason for stopping as cost. No driver could recall being advised about driving by a doctor. Twenty-two drivers (79%) had a significant clinical condition that could affect driving, ranging from blackouts to arthritis. It is recommended that all elderly patients should be asked if they drive and any clinical conditions they might have that would adversely affect their driving be sought. Appropriate advice should be given by doctors to their elderly patients in order to safeguard them and the public from road traffic accidents.  (+info)

Mother's rights can't be infringed to protect fetus, Supreme Court's landmark ruling states. (23/26)

Cases involving child abuse have received wide coverage lately, as has a case involving possible risk to a fetus because of a mother's addiction to solvents. Lawyer Karen Capen discusses the legal issues facing doctors over the reporting of child abuse and outlines their obligations and responsibilities.  (+info)

There's more to Krever's report than the blood issue--much more. (24/26)

Although coverage of the recent release of the Krever commission's findings concentrated almost solely on recommendations concerning the safety of the blood-supply system, lawyer Karen Capen says physicians can take many lessons from this exhaustive report that extend far beyond blood. She describes it as "must reading" for physicians and says their organizations should use it as a teaching tool.  (+info)