Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons^™

J Mich Dent Assoc May 2022

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Monthly, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association brings news, information, and feature articles to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. No publication reaches more Michigan dentists!

In this May 2022 issue, the reader will find the following original content:

• A feature on “Periodontal Disease and COVID-19"
• A cover feature introducing Dr. Vince Benivegna 2022-23 MDA President
• A 10-Minute EBD: “Charcoal Toothpastes Pose Risks with Few Benefits”
• A Professional Ethics article on “How Can Our Office be More Inclusive of Transgender Patients”
• News you need: an Editorial, a profile on Dr. Jessica Rikert, recipient of the …

Equitable Vaccine Access Within An Age-Based Framework, Alan B. Cobo-Lewis

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Objectives: When vaccine supply was limited, several states adopted age-based prioritization for Covid-19 vaccine eligibility because it is simple (especially when age is quantized by decade) and age is strongly associated with Covid-19 mortality. But this approach raises equity concerns based in law and ethics. I propose data-driven solutions for equitable policy within an age-based framework. Methods: Using CDC and Census Bureau data, I analyzed 538,627 U.S. Covid-19 deaths by age and race-ethnicity through February 2021 and compared the risk ratios to published data on risk ratios for other conditions. Results: Covid-19 mortality rose 2.56-fold per decade of life. Down …

Before It Is Over: A Family’S Experience With End-Of-Life Care During Covid-Related Restrictive Visitation Policies, Andjela H. Kaur

Patient Experience Journal

It is not uncommon in the American medical community that a personal narrative sparks a conversation about a controversial topic. In 1988 the Journal of American Medical Association published a narrative by a medical doctor which provoked a debate on euthanasia within the readership of the journal and the greater public. The testimony that I am presenting aims to invite a public dialogue on the harmful effects of restrictive visitation policies brought on by the COVID -19 pandemic. The story of my family’s experience during the end-of-life care for my mother, a COVID patient, illustrates how urgent is the need …

The Physician Suicide Crisis, Christian J. Leonardo

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Abstract

Background: Mental health has been a serious issue among physicians over the past century. It is clear if we do not address this issue, the doctor shortage in America will continue to rise and the quality of care that patients receive will continue to deteriorate.

Methods: Literary research was conducted using both primary and secondary sources in order to find historical evidence of the mental health crisis among physicians.

Findings: It is clear that there is a mental health crisis among physicians by the staggering statistics that will be discussed throughout the paper. It is also evident that more …

The Next Small Step, Samiya Henry

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

As of right now, NASA and other space programs are estimating that by 2026, there will be people living in Space. Whether it be the Moon or Mars, one cannot have a functional society without a proper source of laws, especially since no one country has ownership over space. "One Small Step" will produce this source of laws, called the “Space Bill of Rights,” that will outline important matters like the trade of resources, medical care, government officials, and will ensure the preservation of our physical and figurative footsteps in space. This Space Bill of Rights is made up of …

Wellness Review 2021, Part 2, Brian A. Ferguson, Martin Huecker

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article presents Part 2 of the biannual JWellness Review of literature from 2021 (July – December). We emphasize new science and resilience initiatives published outside of JWellness that seek understanding of burnout and thriving among healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Methods: For the interval of July 1 to December 30, 2021, PubMed was queried for empirical and observational research studies, review articles, guideline summaries, letters, and editorials. Of 93 results, we reviewed methods and salient points to arrive at a final list of 48 articles for inclusion.

Literature in Review: Common themes that emerged included teamwork, EMR optimization, group decompression, …

Public Goods From Private Data: An Effectiveness And Justification Dilemma For Digital Contact Tracing, Andrew Buzzell

The Journal of Sociotechnical Critique

Debate about the adoption of digital contact tracing (DCT) apps to control the spread of COVID-19 has focussed on risks to individual privacy. This emphasis reveals significant challenges to ethical deployment of DCT, but generates constraints which undermine justification to implement DCT. It would be a mistake to view this result solely as the successful operation of ethical foresight analysis, preventing deployment of potentially harmful technology. Privacy-centric analysis treats data as private property, frames the relationship between individuals and governments as adversarial, entrenches technology platforms as gatekeepers, and supports a conception of emergency public health authority as limited by individual …

Making Wishes Known: An Evidence-Based Practice Project For Advanced Care Planning In Oncology, Hazel Torres

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: An advance directive is a tool that patients use to maintain control of their care, plan for potential life events, identify their health proxy and communicate their wishes with their healthcare team. Despite the stated importance, the percentage of patients with completed advance directives in the Oncology clinic was less than 10%. This meant that the majority of patients did not have the tools to make their wishes known to the healthcare team.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this EBP project is In adult oncology patients within the outpatient setting, does implementing a formal advanced …

The Ethics Surrounding Do-It-Yourself Hormone Replacement Therapy, Ted Studt

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Healthcare is often a complicated issue to navigate, and sadly it gets no easier for those who are transgender. Gender-affirming healthcare can be incredibly tough to attain, both within and outside the United States. Research found that trans citizens in the US were less likely to be insured and more likely to experience barriers to access than cis citizens. In April and May 2021, laws were signed into effect in Arkansas and Tennessee targeting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and puberty blockers, specifically banning such medicines being given to individuals under 18. As a result, many transgender citizens turn to online …

Ethics Of Euthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide, Kathryn Halloran

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

The Ethics Of Medical Voluntourism: The Conceptualization And Management Of ‘Doing Harm’ Within The Business, Katelyn Dohler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although medical voluntourism programs are rapidly growing in popularity, deep ethical controversies overly the industry. In particular, understanding how the field of medical voluntourism follows a business model sheds insight on the sources of tension and conflicts of interest that can arise within organizations and the sector as a whole. However, understanding the roles of individual motivations and societal pressures in the development of these ethical controversies is relatively unexplored.

Through an inductive thematic analysis of data gathered from literature review and expert interviews, this project investigates these driving factors behind the rapidly growing business, how these driving factors contribute …

Evaluating The Validity Of Restrictions On Blood Donation Eligibility For Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) In The United States, France, And Switzerland, Swathi Gorantla

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For the first time in a decade, the number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses is higher for heterosexual people compared to gay and bisexual men (Florêncio, 2022). Additionally, in the United States, the American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis due to the nationwide shortage of donated blood. During this crisis, charged with the new information on HIV diagnosis rates, many advocates for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community question why discriminatory policy surrounding gay and bisexual men donating still exist around the world. These policies are changing worldwide – several European countries have …

Microplastics, The Environment, And Reproductive Health: How Is The Accumulation Of Microplastics In Our Environment And Bodies Impacting Reproductive Health?, Katherine Hayward

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As global trends in both production and consumption of plastics continue to evolve, the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastic particles in our everyday lives follow suit. This increasingly relevant problem has only recently been explored in the context of global health, and more specifically, reproductive health. Along with this steady increase in plastics and our exposure to them, researchers have separately observed adverse patterns in reproductive health. The chemicals involved throughout the microplastic life cycle may be playing a key role in these simultaneous patterns. With the aid of previous studies and publications on microplastics, exposure pathways, endocrine disruptors, and …

Providing Culturally Competent Eldercare For Asian Americans, Britney Ngo

Honors Theses

As the Asian American elderly population continues to grow, it is important to acknowledge cultural factors that may impact their behavior, attitudes, preferences, and decisions in the context of eldercare. Cultural competency acknowledges and considers these factors while providing care that includes biophysical factors of healthcare as well as non-medical dimensions of care such as language and culture.

This thesis seeks to address the applications of providing culturally competent eldercare to Asian Americans and offer future recommendations to care settings that have limited resources by utilizing a multidisciplinary review of literature accompanied by interviews with representatives from On Lok, a …

Sober Thoughts On Drunken Consent: Intoxication And Consent To Sexual Relations, Samuel Director

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Drunken sex is common. Despite how common drunken sex is, we think
very uncritically about it. In this paper, I want to examine whether drunk individuals
can consent to sex. Specifically, I answer this question: suppose that an individual,
D, who is drunk but can still engage in reasoning and communication, agrees to have
sex with a sober individual, S; is D’s consent to sex with S morally valid? I will argue
that, within a certain range of intoxication, an individual who is drunk can give valid
consent to have sex with an individual who is sober.

Division In Rural America: Understanding The Difference Between Refusal To Treat Based On Medical Conscience Versus Discrimination And How To Overcome It, Sarah Mcmillen, Alexander Mcmillen, Melanie Kuder

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

Division in Rural America: Understanding the Difference Between Refusal to Treat Based on Medical Conscience Versus Discrimination and How to Overcome It

Melanie Kuder, PharmD, Alexander X. McMillen

and Sarah A. McMillen, PsyD.

This paper will provide an exploration of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), how the guidelines on what constitutes adequate care have changed since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revision on March 30, 2020, the use of medical conscience as the right to refuse, and how the communities in Kansas have responded to this.

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals And Breast Cancer: Disparities In Exposure And Importance Of Research Inclusivity, Ashlie Santaliz Casiano, Annah Lee, Dede Teteh, Zeynep Madak Erdogan, Lindsey Trevino

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are known contributors to breast cancer development. EDC exposures commonly occur through food packaging, cookware, fabrics, and personal care products as well as through the environment. Increasing evidence highlights disparities in EDC exposure across racial/ethnic groups, yet breast cancer research continues to lack the inclusion necessary to positively impact treatment response and overall survival in these socially disadvantaged populations. Additionally, the inequity in environmental exposures has yet to be remedied. Exposure to EDCs due to structural racism poses an unequivocal risk to marginalized communities. In this review, we summarize recent epidemiological and molecular studies on two lesser-studied …

A New Directive: An Ethical Analysis Of The Ethical And Religious Directives And Catholic Healthcare Mission To Promote And Sustain Catholic Healthcare, Noah Dimas

Graduate Student Research Symposium

At the heart of all Catholic healthcare is the mission and duty to further the healing ministry of Jesus Christ and care for one’s neighbor to uphold human dignity. However, some in Catholic healthcare may not fully know nor understand these foundational Catholic teachings. As such, these healthcare professionals can turn to a simple but rich guide in giving direction to these healthcare professionals, the USCCB’s Ethical and Religious Directives. This document acts as both a primer and set of guidelines regarding Catholic doctrine, the Catholic moral tradition, and how both inform the Catholic response to common ethical concerns. However, …

The Ethical Justification Of Research In Pediatric Healthcare With An Emphasis On The Covid-19 Vaccine, Brianne Helfrich

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Pediatric research in medicine is a widely debated topic on ethical and moral principles. In this paper, the reasoning behind the importance of general medical research will be explored. The risks and benefits associated with medical research will be discussed, as these are topics that can persuade an individual into participating. The first section of this paper will also emphasize the importance of the COVID-19 research and ethical conflicts associated with it. Being in a global pandemic, this research has provided society with many benefits regarding diagnosis of disease, vaccines, and treatments. Exploring the COVID-19 research will provide readers with …

Ethical Ramifications Of Xenotransplantation Research And Justification For Potentially Deadly Study Participation, Scott Dyer

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Recent leaps in medical technology now allow humans to utilize organs of animals, specifically pigs, in xenotransplantation procedures. As this science advances, ethical quandaries that must be grappled with will arise while additional clinical trials must be done. Due to the infancy of this technology, science must be cautious in how it moves forward. However, I also argue that anyone, as long as they are of sound mind and deemed to be of proper decision-making capacity, can justifiably participate in any research they want, no matter how deadly the potential consequences. A participant in such research may be getting much …