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The article focuses on the assessment of current healthcare ethics consultations certification process. It focuses on to the additional benefit of minimizing the inherent weaknesses of process evaluations; and also mentions the modifications to the certification process as evaluating and improving the written exam, and summary and documentation of formal education.

Reality medical television, an increasingly popular genre, depicts private medical moments between patients and healthcare providers. Journalists aim to educate and inform the public, while the participants in their documentaries—providers and patients—seek to heal and be healed. When journalists and healthcare providers work together at the bedside, moral problems precipitate. During the summer of 2010, ABC aired a documentary, Boston Med, featuring several Boston hospitals. We examine the ethical issues that arise when journalism and medicine intersect. We provide a framework for evaluating the potential benefits and harms of reality medical television, highlighting critical issues such as informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the medical case of a mother suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The patient's children requested that she be given medications that will let her die peacefully. Recommendations for morphine medication were refused by the nurses taking care of her leading to an ethics consultation. Issues such as the reality of her suffering, justification of morphine treatment and her death were raised. It was agreed that the patient be transferred to a residential hospice and given terminal sedation until she dies.

Hymen reconstruction surgery is a simple procedure to repair a woman's hymen, requested by women who, for religious and cultural reasons, believe they must appear to have an intact hymen on their wedding night. Debates surrounding possible ethical justification for the procedure are complex and heated. These articles from the Harvard Ethics Consortium present and explore the case of a young woman who asked a young female physician on call for a referral for the procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hearts and Minds of Ghana project travels from Boston Children's Hospital for two weeks each year to provide cardiac surgery to children in Ghana. Of the hundreds of children in need, how to choose who will receive lifesaving surgery? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the medical ethics case of the patient Lorraine who was partially paralyzed from an accident several years earlier and now in her early forties. Medical background of the patient.

Discusses the use of pharmacologic paralysis in the withdrawal of mechanical ventilation at the end of life. Role of neuromuscular blocking agents in making patients comfortable before withdrawing ventilation; Need for physicians to administer sedatives in conjunction with neuromuscular agents; Ethical issues surrounding the use of these paralyzing drugs.

Context: Although religion often informs ethical judgments, little is known about the views of American clergy regarding controversial end-of-life ethical issues including allowing to die and physician aid in dying or physician-assisted suicide (PAD/PAS).Objective: To describe the views of U.S. clergy concerning allowing to die and PAD/PAS.Methods: A survey was mailed to 1665 nationally representative clergy between 8/2014 to 3/2015 (60% response rate). Outcome variables included beliefs about whether the terminally ill should ever be "allowed to die" and moral/legal opinions concerning PAD/PAS.Results: Most U.S. clergy are Christian (98%). Clergy agreed that there are circumstances in which the terminally ill should be "allowed to die" (80%). A minority agreed that PAD/PAS was morally (28%) or legally (22%) acceptable. Mainline/Liberal Christian clergy were more likely to approve of the morality (56%) and legality (47%) of PAD/PAS, in contrast to all other clergy groups (6%-17%). Greater end-of-life medical knowledge was associated with moral disapproval of PAD/PAS (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.51; 95% CI, 1.04-2.19, P = 0.03). Those reporting distrust in health care were less likely to oppose legalization of PAD/PAS (AOR 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87-0.99, P < 0.02). Religious beliefs associated with disapproval of PAD/PAS included "life's value is not tied to the patient's quality of life" (AOR 2.12; 95% CI, 0.1.49-3.03, P < 0.001) and "only God numbers our days" (AOR 2.60; 95% CI, 1.77-3.82, P < 0.001).Conclusion: Most U.S. clergy approve of "allowing to die" but reject the morality or legalization of PAD/PAS. Respectful discussion in public discourse should consider rather than ignore underlying religious reasons informing end-of-life controversies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]